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Parma Ham and seafood skewers make for a stylish dinner party starter, and they only take minutes to make.

All you need to do is to simply wrap slices of Parma Ham around scallops and thread on to rosemary spears, along with king prawns. Cook on a griddle or barbeque and serve with a delicious caper and coriander salsa.  Done!  The full recipe is given below.

Parma Ham is a completely natural food with nothing added except salt. Making a Parma Ham is a long and painstaking process. The curing is controlled carefully so that the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it to retain its distinctive sweet flavour.  Prosciutto di Parma, is produced in the hills surrounding the Italian town of Parma. The air in the Parmesan hills is unique, dry and sweet-smelling with breezes from the Apennine mountains, creating perfect environmental conditions for a natural “drying” of the hams.

The unique taste of Parma Ham is dependent on the traditional production process passed down from Roman times, carefully controlled by the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma. Only hams that have passed stringent curing regulations approved by the EU can be awarded the stamp of the Ducal crown – a five pointed coronet logo with PARMA in the centre which is branded onto the ham’s skin. The Ducal Crown is now a certification trademark.

For more information on Parma Ham, please visit www.prosciuttodiparma.com

Recipe for Parma Ham-wrapped scallop and king prawn surf ‘n’ turf skewers with a caper and coriander salsa

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main

4 long stems of fresh rosemary

4 slices Parma Ham, sliced in half lengthways

8 scallops

8 raw king prawns

olive oil

salsa:

2 handfuls chopped coriander

3 tbsp chopped capers

3 tbsp diced cucumber

1 tbsp finely chopped red onion

½ green chilli, finely chopped

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

zest and juice of 1 lemon

zest and juice of 1 lime

salt and black pepper

1.  Strip the leaves off the rosemary spears, leaving 2-3cm leaves at the end of each

2.  Wrap a strip of Parma Ham around each scallop

3.  Thread a prawn onto each rosemary skewer followed by a Parma Ham-wrapped scallop. Alternate prawns and scallops so that each skewer has 3 prawns and 2 scallops

4.  Combine all of the ingredients for the salsa and season to taste

5.   Heat a lightly oiled heavy based frying pan, griddle or barbecue  and cook the skewers for 1-2 minutes per side until the prawns are pink and no longer raw, and the scallops are firm to touch

6. Serve the skewers with plenty of salsa and green leafy salad leaves

Cook’s tip: If you are short of time, prepare the skewers in advance and refrigerate until you are ready to cook. The salsa can also be made and chilled for 3-4 hours in advance

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