Recipe: Smoky Trout Macaroni Salad

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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updated May 1, 2019
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Credit: Maria Siriano
Smoked trout is an easy addition to next-level classic macaroni salad.

Serves8 to 10

Makesabout 3 quarts

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(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

If you’re looking to take your macaroni salad game up just a notch, look no further than one of my favorite ready-to-eat ingredients: smoked trout. When smoke is added to this mild-mannered fish, exciting things happen to everything it’s served with, including good ol’ fashioned creamy macaroni salad. Throw in a few handfuls of crunchy celery, tart apple, and some chives for good measure, and you’ve got the next backyard potluck, barbecue, or picnic covered.

Why Smoked Trout?

Think of smoked trout as smoked salmon’s more down-to-earth cousin. It’s not as expensive, a bit milder in flavor, and plays really nicely with creamy elements like yogurt and mayonnaise. Most smoked trout is hot smoked, so the flesh flakes easily away from the skin — great for folding into macaroni salad.

(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Greek yogurt and vinegar add a nice bit of tang to the mayonnaise-based dressing, while a touch of Dijon mustard helps to round things out. Many macaroni salads have sugar, which I feel is totally unnecessary when you can load it up with crunchy celery and tart green apple instead. Fresh dill and chives, which perfectly complement smoked fish, are also thrown into the dressing for extra flavor. Mac salad needs a bit of time for the flavors to meld after it all comes together, which means this a great make-ahead side dish to bring to your next outdoor gathering.

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Smoky Trout Macaroni Salad

Smoked trout is an easy addition to next-level classic macaroni salad.

Makes about 3 quarts

Serves 8 to 10

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 pound

    dried elbow macaroni

  • 1 1/4 cups

    mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup

    plain Greek yogurt

  • 2 tablespoons

    plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon

    kosher salt, plus more as needed

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 8 ounces

    smoked trout fillets, skin removed and flesh flaked (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • 1 cup

    small-dice celery (from about 3 stalks)

  • 1

    medium Granny Smith apple, small dice (optional)

  • 1/3 cup

    coarsely chopped fresh dill

  • 1 bunch

    fresh chives, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until tender. Meanwhile, make the dressing.

  2. Place the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the trout, celery, apple if using, dill, and chives, and gently stir to combine; set aside.

  3. Drain the macaroni, rinse under cool water until cooled, then drain well again. Add to the bowl of dressing and gently stir to evenly coat. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Filed in:
easy
herbs
Ingredient
Keeps Well
Lunch
Main Dish