It may have been @LindaWhit who gave me a recipe for one of those when I was drowning in basil. It was pretty excellent.
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One of my most disappointing food experiences/realisations ever was to discover that the American definition of “chicken salad” is very different from the European definition that I’m used to. Fully expecting some grilled or fried chicken alongside salady things like lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper, etc. And what came was this awful beige gloop - chicken so finely chopped it was impossible to detect a flavour through the overly seasoned mayo and finely chopped unidentified other stuff. Just horrible. I have not ordered anything described as “salad” since on trips to America unless it specifies what they intend it to be. At least using a tin of tuna means that there’s likely to be the flavour of salt so it will taste of something.
Yes, in America “XXX Salad” usually means XXX ingredient chopped and mixed with a mayo-based dressing, where as “Salad with XXX” is usually a lettuce or greens-based bowl of vegetables with XXX on top. There can be regional variation in nomenclature, though, and also variation among different types of restaurants (e.g., a diner versus a Michelin-starred place might refer to the same type of salad differently). Definitely smart to ascertain what you are getting as a visitor!
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And don’t forget the difference between macaroni salad and pasta salad! The former being small pasta drenched in a mayo dressing plus maybe celery or onion (in other words, chicken salad but with noodles) vs pasta salad which is any type of pasta usually room temp or cold, with any variety of chopped meats or veg and any dressing. But not the gloppy scoop of macaroni salad.
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Maybe I don’t call it tuna salad, but a salad with tuna, white beans, a light vinagrette, and some crunchy savory elements like onion, celery, or herbs, is an absolute delight.
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Absolutely agree. I tend to call that by its Italian name of “tonno e fagioli”. A not uncommon lunch for me.
And thanks for that. I’ll bear that distinction in mind for future trips.
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I’ve made it a bit of a “house rule” at least in my head that while I’m working at home, I will max out at cooking 1 meal per day. Everyone can forage for breakfast and lunch (usually). And I have a couple of days of recipes already lined up. But this thread is very much inspiring me to throw together a “Mediterranean” tuna salad to have around in the fridge for lunching or snacking.
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Raisins and curry in tuna - I cannot imagine the travesty. Same thing but in a chicken salad, and that is delightful. Especially on an interesting bread (date nut perhaps) and with some greens. Humans are funny.
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I don’t mind curried tuna salad, but I am anti-fish+fruit, generally. Except lemon & lime, of course. Do not come at me with mango tuna tacos or orange-glazed prawns.
Funny. Until your examples, I couldn’t think of examples. I would not at all mind a mango salsa on top of broiled fish. But the article also made a mention of cottage cheese, and I cannot abide by cottage cheese in any preparation whatsoever, or by itself. That texture!!!
Different folks, different strokes.
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So my pan-seared scallops with a mango salsa with red onions, parsley, Cuban peppers and lime juice that I made on Saturday would be a no-go for you @small_h?
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They look great to me!
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I mean, I’d eat it, to be polite. But I’d prefer it minus the mango. I like minced jalapenos, soy sauce & lemon on my scallops.
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Worse are the “jello salads” of the midwest and south, where they are served as side dishes accompanying the main course. The stereotype is canned fruit salad, drained, plus mini marshmallows, in red jello. If anything, it’s a dessert, though not one I’d want. I do like the one that is orange jello plus shredded carrots and drained canned crushed pineapple, but as a snack or dessert. Red jello with drained whole cranberry sauce and chopped apple is an okay condiment at the Thanksgiving table.
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Sounds vile - except as dessert where it just sounds like something I’ve not wanted to eat since I was 10.
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My grandmother would puree fresh cranberries and put them in cranberry jello.
The only dish that we collectively decided needed to be retired from the family cookbook when she passed away. Bitter, vile stuff.
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Your post sent me to the bookshelf to see if I still had a vintage 1962 Joys of Jell-O promotional cookbook I picked up at a charity sale.
Folks with sensitive tummies may want to avert their eyes now.
Here’s tuna salad, Jell-O style.
Note that the De Luxe Tuna Salad variation contains cooked peas and chopped apples. Encased in lemon, lemon-lime, or lime Jell-O.
If a food could be embedded in Jell-O back in the day, somebody probably did. Though I can’t explain why they would want to.
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No. Just no.
Now tomato aspic is an entirely different thing.
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Tomato aspic featured in this disappointing meal in Vicksburg, MS in 2016
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I’m sorry you had a crappy chicken salad. Definitely not the experience everywhere; yes, mayo will be involved in most instances but they can be quite flavorful.
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