Hawaiian Mac Salad
6-8
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
8 oz
dry elbow macaroni
kosher salt
2 tbsp
grated Maui or yellow onion (roughly 1/4 whole onion)
1 c
Best Foods (or Hellman's) mayonnaise, plus 1/2 cup more if needed
2 tbsp
sweet pickle juice
3 tbsp
sweet pickle relish
freshly ground black pepper
¼ c
coarsely grated carrot
This recipe comes from Aloha Kitchen, by Alana Kysar.
“I’m obsessed with Hawaiian mac salad!” I can’t tell you how many friends from the mainland have said this very sentence to me. It’s usually followed by “What’s the secret ingredient?” Well, I think the answer is grated onions. Yes, you pull out your box grater and grate your onions with the small grate side, making sure to add all the liquid goodness that weeps out. You want your onions to be almost liquefied to get that Hawai’i-style mac salad flavor. This salad is served with almost every plate lunch and at most family gatherings. There are many variations—with green onions, peas, chopped ham, or even tuna—but this recipe makes a good basic island-style mac salad.
Directions
- Cook the macaroni, salting the water with 2 tablespoons kosher salt, according to the instructions on the package, until very tender, not al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Let cool slightly for 10 minutes, then add the onion, 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise, the pickle juice, relish, and pepper to taste and toss until well coated. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour.
- When ready to serve, stir in 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise and the carrot; add more mayonnaise if it looks dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve chilled.
