Crispy prosciutto is a simple and delicious way to elevate vegetable dishes, pastas, salads, sandwiches, and even enjoy on its own.
I can’t believe I’ve never shared how to make crispy prosciutto before! Crispy prosciutto is the BEST!
So, before we dive in on all things crispy prosciutto, let’s chat bacon for a minute. Bacon seems to be nearly everyone’s favorite food. And it’s fine! But…honestly? I don’t always love bacon? Bacon that is chewy – hard pass. Crispy bacon – okay, maybe. But oftentimes bacon feels a bit heavy to me personally.
Enter: prosciutto. One day years ago, I first tried prosciutto. I believe it was in a dish with green beans (very similar to my prosciutto green beans), then in prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. I loved it! I loved how thin prosciutto is often cut, so it can get ultra crisp. Which got me thinking…what would happen if I baked prosciutto like bacon? I tried it and y’all – crispy perfection!
Bacon is from the pork belly, making it a fattier cut of meat. Bacon is processed through curing, then often is smoked (i.e. applewood smoked bacon). After processing, bacon is still raw and needs to be cooked.
Prosciutto is leaner than bacon. It’s from the hind pork leg, or ham. The leg is rubbed with salt (and sometimes additional spices and seasonings, like juniper), which helps draw the moisture out of the pork leg and concentrate the flavor as it is slowly air-dried. The air-drying process can take anywhere from months to years. Because the air-drying, curing process is so lengthy, prosciutto isn’t concerned raw and can be eaten without cooking.
Personally, I prefer prosciutto as I prefer its taste and texture to bacon (although they are actually quite different). Nutritionally, I also prefer prosciutto because it is much leaner than bacon, has less saturated fat and cholesterol, and I can always find prosciutto with just two ingredients: pork and salt. No nitrites/ nitrates.
That said, I do still want to note that prosciutto is still a processed meat, like bacon, and should be consumed in moderation.
Prosciutto is meant to be eaten raw But prosciutto is safe to eat as it is — ideally freshly sliced. This is typical for many cured and aged meats, including salami, capicola, speck, which are similar to prosciutto but with their own unique signatures.
How to Use Crispy Prosciutto
Crispy prosciutto can be easily used in a variety of ways:
- Add it to charcuterie boards
- Sprinkle on salads or vegetable dishes
- Crumble it on pasta dishes
- Add it to sandwiches in lieu of bacon
- Just eat it as is
How to Make Crispy Prosciutto
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and carefully place on the prosciutto. Be careful to leave space between the prosciutto pieces, you don’t want them to touch.
Once the oven is preheated, bake the prosciutto for 10-15 minutes (cooking time will vary based on how thin your prosciutto slices are).
Watch your prosciutto carefully, as it can go from crisp to burnt pretty quickly (and burnt prosciutto is SO SAD!).
The prosciutto will continue to crisp as it cools – be sure to let it cool at least ten minutes before diving in!
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FAQ
What happens when you cook prosciutto?
Is prosciutto better cooked or raw?
Can prosciutto be cooked like bacon?
Can you heat up prosciutto?
Does prosciutto need to be cooked?
Just like beef jerky, prosciutto does not need to be cooked and can be eaten raw. It starts out as a raw piece of meat – an entire pork leg – but it is dried and cured for 24 months. That is enough time to render it edible in its raw form, because the meat is no longer raw. It is cured and dried, like a salami or sausage.
Can you eat raw prosciutto?
When you hear mention of prosciutto, it’s usually the “raw” variety that’s cured, dried, and never cooked. It’s safe to eat as is and can be used in many delicious dishes. Can I Freeze Prosciutto?
Should you cook prosciutto cotto?
There’s absolutely no need to cook prosciutto. In fact, if you cook it, you’ll only compromise the taste. Also, since there’s no moisture in prosciutto, you’ll only make the meat drier by cooking. So, unless you want crispy meat for a recipe, you shouldn’t cook prosciutto. The answer is the same when it comes to prosciutto cotto.
Why is prosciutto not cooked?
This meat-drying process and lack of water make the tissue uninhabitable for harmful organisms. With cuts of meat as large as a pig’s hind leg, the process of successfully drawing out moisture takes some time, which only concentrates the flavor as the months go on. While prosciutto is not cooked, it’s cured and dried, meaning it’s safe to eat.