Hawaiian-Style Spam Sliders With Pineapple Slaw Recipe

Sliders are an absolute essential when it comes to any game day, potluck, or gathering, but why limit yourself to the standard burger or ham and cheese slider? These Hawaiian-style Spam sliders, courtesy of recipe developer Patterson Watkins, are truly something worth whipping up for a special occasion. "These sliders are an explosion of flavor," Watkins describes. "You have this tangy-sweet combination with the pineapple, pickled ginger, and pickled cabbage. You have this spicy-creamy balance with the chili garlic crisp spiked mayo, and you get fun textural pops from the nori-sesame-topped slider rolls." When it comes to a slider, what more could you really want?

Of course, we'd be remiss not to highlight the star protein at play, which is none other than everyone's favorite canned meat, Spam. Watkins notes that the Spam adds a certain salty, savory undertone to a slider that otherwise relies heavily on sweet and tangy flavor profiles, which only makes these little sammies that much more intriguing. Ultimately, however, the combination of sweet-tangy pineapple slaw, seasoned mayo, rich Spam, caramelized onions, and a brush of classic BBQ sauce all work together to create an appetizer that may look unsuspecting, but one that ultimately packs a unique flavor punch that will likely be the star of all your Super Bowl party foods. 

Classic Hawaiian sweet rolls serve as the buns for these sliders, and regular Spam makes for the meat. To add a little seasoning flair to the rolls, you'll use a blend of chopped nori, sesame seeds, dried garlic, and dried onion, along with butter for brushing on the rolls. You'll cook some sliced yellow onion alongside the spam, and a coating of barbecue sauce helps add a touch of sweetness. "I used Sweet Baby Ray's original BBQ sauce for this recipe, it is nicely smoky, savory, and moderately sweet," Watkins says, and she notes that other types will work, but be sure to avoid any that are super sweet. Also, you can always make your own barbecue sauce, and Watkins notes that she "would pick something smoky and more vinegar-based with just a hint of honey or brown sugar."

As you're assembling the sliders, you'll brush them with a seasoned mayonnaise consisting of mayonnaise, chili-garlic crisp, and sesame oil. Finally, for the pineapple slaw, you'll need pickled red cabbage, diced pineapple, chopped scallions, and pickled ginger.

Line two medium-sized baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preheat the oven to broil on low.

Place the nori, sesame seeds, dried garlic, and dried onion in a small bowl. Stir to combine the seasoning blend.

Place the slider rolls on one of the prepared baking sheets.

Brush the rolls with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the rolls with the seasoning blend and set aside.

Place the sliced Spam and onions on the other prepared baking sheet.

Thoroughly brush the Spam and onions with the BBQ sauce.

Place the Spam and onions in the oven on the rack closest to the heat source, and broil for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the Spam and onions begin to caramelize.

When there are roughly 3 minutes left, place the baking sheet with the rolls into the oven, on the rack furthest away from the heat source, and warm until lightly toasted.

Remove the Spam from the oven and set aside.

Remove the rolls from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the mayonnaise, chili-garlic crisp, and sesame oil in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Brush the slider rolls with the seasoned mayonnaise.

To assemble the sliders, divide the Spam and onions between the rolls.

Top the Spam and onions evenly with the pickled red cabbage.

Top the cabbage with the diced pineapple.

Sprinkle the pineapple with scallions and pickled ginger. Cap the sandwiches with the top buns and serve.

Despite coming in such a small package, there's quite a bit going on in these Hawaiian-style Spam sliders — which means that there are also quite a few creative liberties you can take as you construct them. For starters, you could use something other than chili-garlic crisp to add flavor to the mayonnaise. Chili-garlic crisp or simply chili crisp is a blend of peppers, garlic, oil, and perhaps some spices, so Watkins recommends using sriracha, chili-garlic paste, or a garlicky hot sauce to achieve a similar flavor profile.

Next up, the pickled cabbage could be subbed out for fresh shredded red cabbage, or you could opt for red cabbage sauerkraut, a slightly more pungent rendition of pickled cabbage. As for that seasoning blend that you sprinkle on top of the rolls, you could easily crush up seaweed chips or use furikake in place of the chopped nori. For the buns themselves, swap in potato rolls if you can't get your hands on the sweet Hawaiian ones.

Sliders are, by nature, a party food. A smaller version of a classic sandwich, sliders are the ultimate grab-and-go snack, perfect for offering up to a large crowd so folks can pluck up one (or three) at their leisure. This recipe yields six sliders, so if you are planning to serve them at a gathering or for a game day, then there's a good chance you'll want to bump up the slider count. 

"If you're planning on serving a large group, this recipe easily doubles to serve 12," Watkins says. She notes that larger baking sheets will be necessary here to accommodate both more Spam slices and more rolls, and you'll want to up the overall baking time to something closer to 15 minutes (though do keep an eye on the Spam as it bakes to avoid over-broiling). "You might need to rotate the baking sheets a couple of times for an even broil," Watkins adds.

If you're serving these for a party and want to get a headstart on the prep, Watkins tells us, "If you're looking for time-saving tips, you can make the mayonnaise and seasoning blend in advance. Keep the mayo refrigerated (in a sealable container) until ready to use and store the seasoning blend at room temperature in a dry container (the nori tends to pick up moisture pretty easily and become soft)."