Hawaiian Mac Salad

Hawaiian Mac Salad is ubiquitous all over the islands. Loved by college students at UofH, business people, tourists, and locals, this simple pasta salad is quite an iconic piece of island cuisine.

Mac Salad, or macaroni salad is, at it’s root, a pretty straightforward pasta salad. There are only a few ingredients – and none of them are particularly ‘Hawaiian’. That’s right, there’s no chunks of canned pineapple or ham like the Canadian monstrosity that is ‘Hawaiian’ Pizza (full disclosure I love that pizza). Hawaiian mac salad is mostly recognized by it’s signature overcooked to the point of mushy elbow macaroni.

The rest of the ingredients in a Hawaiian, or Hawaii-style, macaroni salad are quite basic. You have your onion and mayonnaise, as well as some carrot and celery. In fact by ingredients alone it sounds quite similar to an Australian style pasta salad except the latter tends to use shell shaped pasta instead.

In my mac salad recipe I make one major change that I think could be seen as a bit controversial. However I do have a good justification for it – and the justification is that it makes it taste better than the original. *insert Macauley Caulkin scream face* Regardless, it still pairs deliciously as part of a lunch plate with things like huli huli chicken or garlic shrimp.

What Makes Mac Salad ‘Hawaiian’?

This is a very hard question to answer. In fact, there is a bit of a discourse on if macaroni salad is considered Hawaiian food, or just food from Hawaii. But from a culinary point of view, the thing that makes a Hawaiian macaroni salad distinct is the overcooked noodles. This allows the pasta to meld with the mayonnaise and create an extremely rich and velvety mouthfeel. How divine!

How To Make A Hawaiian Mac Salad

You only need a few ingredients to make a basic Hawaiian mac salad. However many people add extra things to put their own spin on it. From white pepper to vinegar to even sugar, you’ll find tons of additions. My trick? Instead of fiddling around with all of that extra stuff, just replace the traditional Best Foods mayonnaise with Japanese style mayonnaise. I make my own homemade version since Kewpie is hard to come by here, but it takes this macaroni salad to the next level.

Ingredients

• 400 grams Elbow Macaroni (this is the traditional one, but you can use other types of pasta if you like. They even use spaghetti at some places in Hawaii!)
• 1 cup Japanese Mayonnaise (Add more if needed. The most common mayo used in mac salad is Best Foods brand, but I highly recommend using Japanese mayonnaise in its place so you don’t need to fiddle with any ‘alterations’. Even if you want to use regular mayonnaise, I still recommend making your own homemade mayo as it is always better.)
• 1/2 Yellow Onion (grated)
• 1 large Carrot (partially julienned, mostly grated)
• 2 stalks Celery (finely diced)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Black Pepper (to taste)

Many people recommend simply shredding the carrot when you make a mac salad. And while I generally like this strategy, I also like to brunoise (starting with a peeler similar to this one) a few strips just to add more crunch and texture. The main critique many people have with Hawaiian pasta salad is that it can be mushy, so adding a little crunch or texture change here and there can be nice. Of course, it is entirely up to you.

To make this salad just add all your ingredients to a large bowl. The pasta should be cooked 2-3 minutes longer than the box recommends.

Give your homemade Hawaiian mac salad a good mix until everything is thoroughly covered in mayonnaise-y goodness. Of course, give it a taste and see if you want to adjust any of the ingredients. Some people like a very mayo heavy salad and other like it quite thin. It is also common to thin the mayo with a tablespoon of milk to make it extra runny.

While you’re most likely to see a traditional Hawaiian mac salad as part of a lunch plate, you will also see it at picnics/potlucks and sold in large plastic tubs at the grocery store. There is really no end to the customizations you can make, so get creative with it – just remember to overcook your pasta!