Prosciutto
Prosciutto is a dry-cured, air-aged Italian ham, sliced paper-thin and typically served raw, prized for its delicate saltiness and the way it melts almost immediately on the tongue.
How to buy
Buy prosciutto crudo (the classic raw, dry-cured version) rather than prosciutto cotto (cooked ham) unless a recipe specifically calls for the latter. Look for thin, nearly translucent slices with rosy pink meat marbled with soft white fat; labels like Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele DOP signal traditional, protected production. Buying freshly sliced from a deli counter gives the best texture compared to pre-packaged slices.
How to store
Wrap tightly in wax paper and then plastic, and refrigerate. Pre-sliced prosciutto should be used within 3-5 days of opening. Don't freeze it -- freezing ruins the delicate, silky texture that defines good prosciutto. Because it's cured rather than raw fresh meat, it's traditionally eaten without further cooking.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Salty with a delicate sweetness and nutty depth that develops over 12-36 months of aging. The fat, which carries much of the flavor, melts on contact with warmth. Crisping it in a hot oven or pan turns that same fat intensely savory and almost smoky.
- Texture
- Silky and almost translucent when sliced thin, dissolving easily in the mouth. Crisped in a pan or oven, it transforms into something closer to a crunchy chip.
- Aroma
- A delicate, funky-sweet cured aroma that builds the longer the ham has aged.
How to prepare
- Sliced thin and served raw — The classic preparation, draped over bread, melon, or a cheese board.
- Wrapped around fruit — Paired with melon or figs for a sweet-salty bite.
- Crisped — Baked or pan-fried briefly until it turns brittle and crunchy.
- Draped over finished dishes — Added at the very end of cooking, off the heat, so it stays delicate.
- Diced and rendered — Chopped and gently cooked to add salty depth to a sauce or filling.
Classic dishes
American
- Prosciutto crisps over salad — Baked prosciutto shards used as a salty, crunchy salad topping.
Italian
- Prosciutto e melone — Thin prosciutto slices draped over wedges of ripe melon.
- Prosciutto-wrapped figs — Fresh figs wrapped in prosciutto for a sweet, salty appetizer.
- Saltimbocca alla romana — Veal or chicken topped with sage and prosciutto, pan-fried and finished in a wine sauce.
- Antipasto platter with prosciutto crudo — Thin-sliced prosciutto as a centerpiece of a traditional Italian starter spread.
- Prosciutto and arugula pizza — A baked pizza topped after cooking with raw prosciutto and peppery arugula.
- Prosciutto-wrapped grissini — Crisp breadsticks wrapped in thin prosciutto for a simple snack.
- Chicken involtini with prosciutto — Chicken rolled around a prosciutto and cheese filling, then braised or baked.
- Risotto with prosciutto — A creamy risotto finished with diced or torn prosciutto for salty depth.
- Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus — Asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto and roasted until the ham crisps slightly.
- Panini with prosciutto and mozzarella — A pressed sandwich layering prosciutto with fresh mozzarella.
- Tortellini filled with prosciutto — Stuffed pasta with a filling built around finely chopped prosciutto and cheese.
- Prosciutto and burrata plate — Creamy burrata served alongside thin prosciutto, olive oil, and bread.
- Crostini with prosciutto and fig jam — Toasted bread topped with fig jam and a drape of prosciutto.
Spanish
- Melon and prosciutto skewers — A tapas-style bite combining sweet melon with salty cured ham on a skewer.