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Cellpic Sunday – Breakfast in Hawaii

Spam on sale in Hawaii.

April 2025.
Kalaheo, Hawaii.

This week’s Cellpic Sunday is a digression from my usual cellpic posts. For years, we’ve known the popularity of Spam in Hawaiian cooking. In our early married days, we enjoyed Spam regularly in Spam Hotdish, a decidedly Midwestern take on a pasta dish with Spam, elbow macaroni, and canned vegetable and tomato soups. We invented the name. It was in a recipe my wife found years ago, and we don’t remember the source.

According to Google AI, “In Hawaiian cuisine, Spam is a popular and versatile ingredient. It is often considered a staple food, especially in dishes like Spam musubi, Spam fried rice, and other variations. Spam is seen as a practical and affordable source of protein, particularly in a remote area where importing fresh meat can be challenging. Spam’s salty, savory flavor and texture are well-suited to Hawaiian palates and commonly paired with rice and other Hawaiian ingredients.”

Another favorite of ours is a hashbrown omelet. The recipe calls for crisp bacon as a garnish, but we decided to “Spam it up.” Regular readers know I don’t share recipes, and after searching my archive, I believe this is a first for the blog.

The opening photo is of a grocery store displaying several varieties of Spam on sale. Hawaiian grocery prices are higher than those on the mainland due to the high shipping costs to our 50th state. According to the sign, the regular price is $4.98 a can. At $3.89, the sale price is cheaper than that of our Fargo grocery store. At one point, we saw two cans for $5.00 in a Hawaiian grocery. I was looking at that display when another shopper commented that it was an excellent price as he picked up several cans. Now, on to the recipe.

Hashbrown Omelet with Spam

Spam Hashbrown Omelet-1
Dice about one-quarter of the Spam loaf. Lightly fry the Spam until browned on all sides. Set aside until Step 4.

We decided to use the Spam with Bacon variety, as we usually make the omelet with bacon. I diced it finely so as not to overpower the other flavors.

Spam Hashbrown Omelet-2
Coat the pan with a light vegetable oil. Fill the bottom of the pan with a solid layer of shredded potatoes. Cook and turn until lightly browned. It will cook more in the process.

We often use olive oil for cooking, but we don’t use the more expensive Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) variety to cook with because it has a lower smoke point. We save the EVOO for drizzling over salads, roasted vegetables, or even soups.

Spam Hashbrown Omelette-3
Scramble four eggs with a splash of milk and pour over the cooked hash browns.

Eggs are costly here in Hawaii. We paid as much as $12 a dozen until we discovered that Costco regularly has mainland eggs here on Kauai for around $4.25 a dozen in 24-packs.

Spam Hashbrown Omelet-4
Sprinkle the prepared diced Spam on top of the omelet.

I probably could have added one more thin slice of diced Spam.

Spam Hashbrown Omelet-5
Place slices of your favorite cheese (or shredded cheese) on top. Cook until the eggs are cooked through and the cheese is melted.

We like American Cheese slices, but shredded cheese works just fine.

Spam Hashbrown Omelet-6
Plate and garnish with salsa, pico, or a dash of greens like parsley or onion.

Both of us enjoy a Mexican-style salsa on our eggs. We like Herdez brand jarred salsa, but also have a fresh Pico de Gallo recipe when we feel like making it fresh. Alternatively, garnish with your favorite greens. There is plenty for two breakfasts. We slice it into quarters, eat half of it for breakfast, and store the other half in the refrigerator for the next day.

About the photos: Since this is a Cellpic Sunday, all images were captured with my Samsung S23U and processed with Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Are you a Spam fan? Does this recipe sound like something you’d like to try? Let me know in the comments.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s also acceptable. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

57 comments

  4. I bought a can of Spam a while ago and realised after I opened it and tried an old favourite recipe and then realised why I don’t buy it. The fat, salt and cholesterol content is way above what I always eat.
    It used to be a Boy Scout staple camp food although we had a similar product called Camp Pie

    Reply

  8. Definitely not a spam fan! Can’t think of anything worse, just makes me want to do the whole Monty Python sketch
    Google it if you haven’t ever seen it 😂

    Reply

    • I watched the entire sketch for the first time when we visited the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. It was running on a continuous loop in the museum.

      SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM… >grin<

      Reply

  9. Grew up eating spam sandwiches. I think it was easy for my mom, no fuss after opening the can. They might have had butter on them but I am hazy on that. The Catholic school we attended didn’t have “hot lunch” program so we had to bring “cold” lunch. And sometimes fried spam with eggs instead of bacon. Of course, Spam was invented in Minnesota and that makes it special. 😀😀

    Reply

  14. I cannot recall the last time, I had this delicacy. I will give your well- illustrated recipe a try, John. It looks delicious! Thank you for the great photos. That Spam display is superb!

    Reply

    • When we visited the Spam Museum, I was taken aback by all of the different flavor variations sold around the world. There are many varieties sold for Asian markets that I saw. Spam Korean BBQ and Spam Portuguese Sausage come to mind.

      Reply

      • I did not know there were so many varieties. Here in Canada I learned there is the regular fare of Spam flavors plus a maple syrup flavor. Thanks for the inspiration both in photography and cuisine John. Much appreciated.

  15. John, I love this post! We always have a couple of cans of Spam in our pantry. I didn’t know they made Spam with bacon! Yes, I will try this recipe!. Did you try the Spam Musubi in Hawaii? My husband loves it and even bought a t-shirt with Spam Musubi on it. He wore it when we went we went to the Spam Museum in Minnesota.

    Reply

  19. This makes me chuckle. My mom enjoyed Spam and my husband and younger daughter love it. If anyone’s ever in Austin, Minnesota, you must visit the free Spam Museum. I promise you it’s worth it! Truly!

    Spam came about in a fascinating way, a method used by a butcher to preserve meat in a time when there weren’t refrigerators. Hawai’i isn’t the only place where Spam is a treat and our favorite authentic Japanese restaurant here in Mesa, Arizona offers a Spam special unlike the way you may have seen Spam fixed.

    Your photo would be perfect for today’s One Word Sunday, “Repeat,” and here’s my Cellpic Sunday entry: https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2025/08/24/repeat/

    Reply

  24. Fascinating take! 💯🏄‍♂️ Well now, I’ve been reading about a pickle worthy of a luau. 🍍 When they slapped tariffs on imported goods the next thing they knew, even SPAM—the unofficial state food of Hawaii—is caught in the crossfire. Hard to hold a proper island potluck when your musubi starts costing more than a ribeye. Seems tariffs aimed at Beijing somehow wound up whacking Honolulu, proving once again that when the pigs gets roasted the voters get the bill. 🐖🇺🇸 🏄‍♂️

    Reply

    • For some reason, the Comments field wasn’t presented to me on your post, though I was able to click the Like button.
      Those Spam ‘smores sound like fun. We are visiting our son and family in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in September. Maybe it’s time for a campfire so we can do the ‘smores right!

      Reply

  31. […] John’s Cell Pic Sunday challenge is fun, and he even includes his first recipe. I got a good laugh when I saw his feature photo. I republished this old post just because of his photo. I use my cell phone most of the time because it is easy and convenient. Then I process them on my computer using Lightroom. […]

    Reply

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