What’s in your macaroni salad?
Macaroni salad was a very common family reunion party fare when I was a child. My father and my aunt, his sister, had their own versions and both were really great. My father’s version included hard-boiled quail eggs; my aunt’s had lots of pineapple tidbits and pickle relish.
Later on, when I started to learn how to cook, I discovered that I preferred crushed pineapple over pineapple tidbits. I also learned that adding small cubes of cheese makes macaroni salad even more interesting.
Then, there’s the chicken angle. I don’t know why, in the Philippines, macaroni salad almost always means chicken and macaroni salad. There’s so much more than chicken that can go with macaroni, pineapples and mayo. Take ham, for instance. Cut them into cubes and they’re just perfect. Then, there’s crisp bacon bits, diced turkey or duck meat. Or even boiled shrimps. Or canned tuna. My all-time favorite is macaroni salad with smoked salmon. Unbelievable experience.
Whatever meat or seafood I add to macaroni salad, chopped carrots and celery are always a must. I don’t know why but they add a depth to the macaroni salad experience that pineapple and pickle relish cannot provide. Perhaps, it’s the contrast in colors. Or the complimenting flavors. Or the crunchiness that balances the creaminess of mayonnaise and cheese. Or all of that.
Of course, adding carrots and celery does not meat you can’t have pineapples and pickle relish too. Ditch the usual and try different combinations. You’ll be surprised how extraordinary macaroni salad can be.
For more carrot and celery ideas, check out what my kids had in their lunch box yesterday.
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Hello, I agree with you…you can top a lot of stuff in your macaroni salad. I for one, always have this request from our neighborhood for a potluck party. The first time I experiment this dish when I ran out of chicken…eyeing a lot of beef kenchi, I cut into bite-pieces and put one some carrots and ham…viola…it was perfect!
But do you think aside from the stuff you put in, the mayonaise also had to do something to it? I mean, I usually use Lady Choice brand until I try other brand, it tastes different…so have you try using aside from your favorite mayonaise?
G’day Connie, would you to try sultanas in your Macaroni salad ingredients? We here in Oz usually put in some plumped up sultanas. They add a nice sweetness and texture to the mix..
Marilou, we use American Maid mayo at home. We don’t switch to other brands except when it isn’t available and, from experience, Best Foods suck.
Ozi Chris, if only sultanas were available here. The orange carrot, green celery and golden sultanas. Ah, the idea is just wonderful.
Some add raisins but my hubby says they look like flies trapped in the salad so I never tried adding raisins.
Hi connie. I’m a malaysian staying in abu dhabi. Have been looking through your very informative site and find your recipes very delicious. Am looking forward to learning more about pinoy food, as there are many filipino restaurants around. So far we have tried chicken adobo, which is interesting. Hope by going through your site, we will know what to order the next time we go to a pinoy rest!
I was looking for a recipe but didn’t find any. Did I miss it? May I ask what dressing you usually put in your macaroni salad? Is it only mayonnaise?
Hi Kat, enjoy browsing. Am learning about Southeast Asian cooking too, including Malaysian.
peasmom, it’s a non-recipe entry. And, yes, mayo only.
I must have been traumatized as a kid with all the macaroni salad at our family picnics – it gives me the willies as an adult! There’s something creepy about mayo and pasta in any combination. It looks good, but I think it must be a texture thing.
I also put cubed cheese in my mac salad. Of course, carrots and pineapple but never tried with celery. Maybe I should. I dont put raisins as well. Speedy is right, they looked like flies.
why don’t you try the japanese mayo? it’s really, really good, well-balanced in taste, not sweet, not tangy…
hello ma’am connie!
i always enjoyed reading your blog. thanks for sharing our recipes.
i’ve always used best foods real mayonnaise & it tastes fine. but best foods’ mayo magic is really awful.
erratum: i mean YOUR recipes..
Believe or not, i haven’t made macaroni salad and years. I have to make them next week for our family get together. I sure have lots of memories back then when i was a young child. Attending bday parties, you bet that macaroni is such a crowd pleaser!
Pls. delete my earlier comment.
Re: raising looking like flies, I get that a lot too from my nephews.
I used to tease my 2 elderly single aunts (one passed away recently) everytime they would prepare macaroni salad for a family gathering. It took them forever to make the salad and I would gently rib them that chatting took up most of the time. Once, they even forgot to put salt in it. Wonderful memories, those.
Your article brought back memories from my childhood. I haven’t had macaroni salad in years! When we were growing up, my mom used to make it all the time with cubes of SPAM and pineapple tidbits. It sounds really weird to me now, but I remember we all ate it when we were kids. I should try making it for my family…. but I think I’ll stick with chicken and skip the spam.
I like my macaroni salad with some chopped white onions. Parang kulang kasi pag wala. I also put celery, crushed pineapple, and relish. I only use chicken though which I shred. Never thought of using meat or seafood but that gives me an idea. I too use the US brand mayo. The local ones I find sweet or tangy for my taste – the imported ones cost almost as much anyway.
i like my mac salad a bit creamy so i add nestle cream, then the usual mayo, chicken, pineapple, cheese, carrots, and ham.
Hi Connie,
That’s a new one for me, celery in the macaroni salad
I have not made any macaroni since I came to Dubai. It kinda makes me homesick because I make the salad with my mom
We like it a little bit sweet:
Potato, carrots, chicken, mayo, raisin, pineapple, pickle, cheese, sugar and salt.
I tried adding onions before but it altered the taste. but I will try adding celery.
thanks!!
hi connie,
thanks thanks and thanks, i really enjoy reading your blog and got notes from it.
do you boil first your carrots and celery before adding them to the mix?and what kind of cheese do you add, the flat ones ba?
hi ms connie,
my hubi usually prefer it 2 be a lil creamy and swit… so we add nestle cream, mayo and condensed milk, plus ham, chicken, tidbits, carrots, celery, relish a lil salt, lots of chis… plus… swit kernel corn!!!! weeee…. missed this!
hmmm… i think this is my favorite food?
and i like it so much…but it taste much better when add some chicken or something…. and thats it…hehehe!!
ps.
ate connie,,, hmm… just keep it up!! huh? hehehe do the good “deeds”..am i correct? bye!