~ Holy Trinity & Remoulade: Creole Macaroni Salad ~

Crunchy, creamy and cold, macaroni salad is a classic Summer staple on American tables everywhere.  It's easy to make, tastes great, and, by changing out a few add-in ingredients here and there (and the fresh herbs and dry spices in your mayonnaise concoction too), you can personalize it to suit yourself, or, customize it to fit the flavor profile of the meal you're serving.  

In case you've just landed from another planet, the "holy trinity" (diced celery, green bell pepper and onion) is to the French-heritaged Cajun and Creole cooks of Louisiana what "mirepoix" (diced carrot, celery and onion) is to French cooks in France.  It's the base seasoning for many sauces, soups and stews, as well as many low-and-slow-braised meat, poultry and fish dishes.

A bit about Classic French, Cajun and Creole remoulade sauce: French remoulade (ray-muh-LAHD) is a creamy to yellowish-colored condiment-sauce, containing lemon- or vinegar-laced homemade mayonnaise, mustard, shallots, capers, gherkins, herbs and sometimes anchovies.  Cajun remoulade, which is mayonnaise-based too, differs from the French original in that it has pink hues and a piquant flavor due to the addition of ketchup, cayenne pepper and/or paprika. <<<Creole remoulade, is a slightly-chunkier, reddish-hued oil-based condiment-sauce containing ketchup, finely-chopped vegetables (usually green onion, celery and parsley), stone-ground or Creole mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, and, sometimes horseradish.  

Remoulade is served chilled to accompany or dress cold meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, egg dishes and salads -- it's great slathered on sandwiches (like Nola's beloved Po' Boy) and 'burgers too.  

Occasionally, Creole remoulade will contain a small amount of mayonnaise to give it a slightly creamy texture and that's exactly what I'm doing today to make my macaroni salad dressing.

For the remoulade sauce to dress 12 ounces of cooked elbow macaroni + add-in's (diced vegetables & eggs):

1 cup Creole-style remoulade sauce (Note:  You can use your favorite store-bought brand, like Zatarain's, your own favorite recipe, or, my recipe for ~ Remoulade Sauce:  A Staple in the NOLA Kitchen ~, which can be found by clicking to Category 8.)

1/2-3/4  cup mayonnaise

~ Step 1.  In a 1-quart food storage container with a tight-fitting lid, thoroughly stir the Creole remoulade and enough mayo to get a creamy consistency and a taste you like.  You will have about 1 1/2 cups.  I refrigerate for an hour or two to thicken it a bit -- that choice is yours.

Holy Trinity & Remoulade Creole Macaroni Salad:

Crunchy, Creamy & Refreshingly Cold, Bold & Creole!

12  ounces elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, according to package directions and well-drained

6  large eggs, hard-cooked and coarse chopped

1/2  cup diced celery

1/2  cup diced green bell pepper

1/2  cup diced green onion

1/2  cup diced yellow or sweet onion

1/2  cup minced parsley

1 1/2  cups Creole remoulade sauce (from above recipe)

~ Step 1.  In an 8-quart stockpot, bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat.  Add the macaroni and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain into a colander and run cold tap water through it to halt the cooking process.  Allow it to continue to drain thoroughly, 5-10 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl.

~ Step 2.  While macaroni is cooking and draining, prep all of the remaining ingredients as directed.  Place the well-drained macaroni and all of the diced vegetables into a large bowl.   Combine the macaroni with all of the veggies.

~ Step 3.  Gently fold in the chopped eggs, followed by the sauce.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours.

Serve chilled as a side-dish to your favorite Cajun- or Creole-spiced fare!

It goes great w/blackened steak, chicken or fish & 'burgers too!

Holy Trinity & Remoulade:  Cajun Macaroni Salad:  Recipe yields 10 cups.

Special Equipment List:  8-quart stockpot; colander; cutting board; chef's knife; large spoon; plastic wrap 

Cook's Note:  While today's macaroni salad is the perfect side-dish to serve with almost any blackened-steak, chicken or fish dish, I love to serve it with my ~ Bayou Pork Burgers w/Ragin'-Cajun Remoulade ~.  You can find my recipe by clicking into Categories 2, 3, 10 or 17.

"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti

(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2016)

Related articles

~ A Versatile Tex-Mex Condiment: Chile-Lime Mayo ~

~ Russet & Sweet Potato Salad w/Chile-Lime Mayo ~

~ GrandMel's Creamy Potato and Egg Salad Recipe~

~ My Devilishly Hot-Russian-Mustard Deviled Eggs ~

~ The Big Easy: Making Blender Hollandaise Sauce ~

~ Jamaican Curried Deviled Eggs w/Mango Chutney~

~ Chicken, Shrimp or Steak Chop-Chop Taco Salad ~

~ Roasted Lamb Sandwiches w/Lemon-Mint Mayo ~

~ Butter-Browned & Broiled BBQ'd Chicken Thighs ~

~Eliot's Angel Hair Pasta with Creamy Vodka Sauce~