Macaroni Salad: Delicious Japanese Style with Tuna

One of my favorite Japanese style salads!

I love macaroni salads. I love potato salads. I love my carbs. And yes, all go so well with barbecues.

I know it’s not barbecue season yet, but this one is good enough to stand on it’s own without one.

How can this be!?

Drum roll…..

Tuna!

Canned tuna provides the protein you’d normally get with your barbecued meat.

Green bell peppers help to offset the tuna flavor with some fresh crunchy peppery flavors.

As the pasta finishes cooking, you blanch the bell peppers in the pasta water. This takes some of the raw bite out of them.

It makes a difference.

I also like how this is made with soy sauce and rice vinegar.

It makes the pasta taste Japanese.

Want to have a taste of a Japanese pasta? This could be a good starting point.

It’s healthy too.

I think I like this more as a side rather than as a main course, but totally up to you how you want to eat it.

I’ve eaten it with sandwiches, soup, fish and meat dishes so far. And it gets along just fine.

What do you think?

If you are keen on getting started cooking Japanese food, I’ve put together a quick reference on Japanese Food Supplies that can help get you started! Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet!

       

Japanese Style Macaroni Salad with Tuna

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• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 people 1x
• Category: side
• Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/2 pound dried macaroni
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 can of tuna
• 1/4 cup mayo (Use the Kewpie brand if possible)
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• fresh cracked pepper

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Instructions

1. Chop the bell pepper in thin strips ~1/4in. wide x 1/2 in. in length and set aside.
2. Next, start cooking the macaroni pasta according to the package directions.
3. Just before the pasta is done, add in the bell peppers and blanch for about 45 seconds in the pasta water.
4. While the pasta is cooking, you can open the can of tuna and place into a large mixing bowl and prepare the dressing.
5. Mix the mayo with the tuna. And measure out vinegar and soy sauce and set aside.
6. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add into the bowl.
7. Mix tuna, pasta, and add in the vinegar and soy sauce and serve!