WHAT MAKES A GREAT MACARONI SALAD?

Plate lunches are the kind of lunches that locals in Hawaii crave for during their hunger spells, famished, stomaches growling, they head for their favorite local style "Plate Lunch Dig" and when they get there, do not get into their way at all because it is serious business... eating that is.

For those of you visitors from outside Hawaii, a typical local plate lunch consists of 2 scoops of white sticky rice, an entree, and  1 scoop of rich creamy macaroni salad. And the pundits have their favorite recipes. Some will go to great lengths just to get their fill of macaroni salad, they not only will order the whole plate lunch but they will order an extra tub of mac salad.

Brenda (Lahaina): To me what makes a great mac salad, is the ingredients that is put inside, I  do not like carrots in mine, nor do I like celery. I like it fairly simple, salt and pepper, some canned tuna, and maybe some green peas. Of course Best Foods Mayo.

Mike (Wailukuu): I like my mac salad with lots of mayo, it can just be some minced onions, minced celery, crab meat, but lots of mayo, not too much, but got to have lots of it.

Uncle Albert (Kona): Bradda, one good mac salad, has crab meat, raw Ahi cubes, green onions, some oyster sauce, soy sauce, and plenny mayonnaise, try dat, broke da mouth!

Sara (Kihei): I like thinly sliced cucumbers in mine, and light mayonnaise because I'm watching my weight, but I like em all, my favorite mac salad comes from Da Kitchen though it doesn't have cucumbers.

Danny Boy (Parts unknown, I think he's hiding from someone) Brah, my gramma made da bess cuz, she used crab meat, lobstah meat, onions, celery, salt, peppah, onion powdah, some hot sauce, and choke mayonnaise cuz, brah if she was alive today, she would win da mac salad prize gaurantee cuz!  Note: Danny Boy is a big Hawaiian boy, and he loves to eat, I wouldn't pick a fight with him... no not  at all man, if his truck was blocking our mailbox, I wouldn't confront him about it.

Malia (West Maui): All I know is, if it is made with Best Foods Mayonnaise, not the light shit, this is going to be a good mac salad. I can eat anything, so whatever the cook put in it is okay with me, I'm easy, but has to have Best Foods Real Mayonnaise.

Nikki (Pukalani): I make my mac salad really basic, with celery, onions, carrots, white pepper, sea salt, some garlic powder, some yellow mustard or Dijon, and mayonnaise, my husband is a real local boy, he always squeezes extra mayo on the salad, I think it's gross, but he loves it, I guess locals just love mayo.

Toshikio (Honolulu) Brah, I just like one simple mac salad, but I like to add wasabi and some miso paste to it, gives it something like a sushi bar kind of dish. Try em.

Well, there's just a few comments from locals about Mac Salad.

If you have a recipe email me at: ronsambrano@live.com


Macaroni Salad