Tuna-Macaroni Salad
You pretty much already have everything you need to make this side dish, a great accompaniment to fried or grilled proteins. Some people love raw onion and celery, but you can leave them out or keep them in as you like. Make sure you use tuna packed in water. (Tuna in olive oil will make the salad too oily.) It’s best chilled — don’t serve it at room temperature — its creamy unctuousness balances out the heat (from spice or from cooking) of whatever it’s paired with.
- Total:
- Serves: 10 persons
Ingredients
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1pound elbow macaroni
- 2(5-ounce) cans tuna in water, drained
- 2hard-boiled eggs, peeled and smashed with a fork
- 1 ½cups mayonnaise, plus more to taste
- ½cup sweet relish
- 1tablespoon yellow or Dijon mustard
- 1teaspoon onion powder
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- 1cup chopped celery (from about 3 stalks, optional)
- 1medium sweet onion, chopped (optional)
- Paprika, for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, and cook the macaroni according to package instructions, until slightly pasta al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool and set aside.Step 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, tuna, eggs, mayonnaise, relish, mustard, onion powder, pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add chopped celery and onion, if using, and toss gently with a spoon to combine.Step 3
Taste and adjust salt and mayonnaise as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to overnight. Sprinkle with paprika for garnish before serving cold.