July is already off to a busy start and there’s no slowing down for us at Tiki Collective HQ. We just got back from Tiki Kon in Portland and went straight in to Tiki Island Disco mode for our collaboration event with The Bywater. We know you’re all curious to hear about how it all went, so we’ll be writing a couple posts about all that soon!

In the meantime, we wanted to share the Hawaiian Mac Salad recipe we took to our family potluck for the 4th of July. We got this one from Alana Kysar’s cook book, Aloha Kitchen, which is full of Hawaiian inspired recipes.

Here’s how we made Alana’s quick, easy, and delicious Mac Salad.

Here’s what you’ll need

8 oz dry elbow macaroni

kosher salt

2 tbsp grated Maui or yellow onion (roughly 1/4 whole onion)

1 cup Best Foods (or Hellman's) mayonnaise, plus 1/2 cup more if needed (use Vegenaise for a vegan Mac alternative)

2 tbsp sweet pickle juice

3 tbsp sweet pickle relish

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup coarsely grated carrot (1/2 medium carrot)

Cook the macaroni until very tender for about 10-12 minutes, salting the water with 2 tablespoons kosher salt.

Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Let cool slightly for 10 minutes.

Add the onion, 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise, the pickle juice, relish, and pepper to taste and toss until well coated. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper.

Chill for 1 hour.

When ready to serve, stir in 1/2 cup of the mayonnaise and the carrots; add more mayonnaise if it looks dry. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Serve chilled and enjoy!

Here’s a little more info on Alana from her publishers site:

“From Maui native and popular food blogger Alana Kysar, this gorgeous cookbook of 85 fresh and sunny recipes reflects the major cultures that have influenced local Hawaiʻi food over time: Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Filipino, and Western.”

Checkout out Instagram post featuring Alana’s book here.

There’s still plenty of summertime parties to be had, so be sure to try this Mac Salad at your next get together!