This recipe is really an ode to Hawaii in a loving sorta way. Most folks that have been here know that Hawaiians are simply mad about their tuna mac salad. It is served with everything from poke to loco moco to easily being a lunch or dinner staple all on its own. But while it is a beloved staple here in the islands, it can also be your run of the mill tuna mac. I just mean that it isn't fancy, just down home macaroni pasta and canned tuna with mayo and some veggies, maybe. Just meh?
Not at my house.
We get so much fresh tuna that tuna itself is a staple. And it winds up on the smoker just as often as it winds up in our bellies as poke.
My family is just cray cray crazy for sushi and sashimi in any form. Florida roots, one might say. But since we do consume a fair amount of tuna fish, fresh out of the water, we don't treat it like it's mundane. In fact, Tsu throws a lot of tuna on the smoker when he is doing his thang. His smoker is quite a large one we got when we first moved to Hawaii and being that we can smoke quite a bit at one time, he makes the most of it and will smoke tuna, ono, salmon, chicken, brisket, you freaking name it. Really, whatever he's got a mind to smoke, everything goes in the smoker.
His mama and I love us some tuna fish salad. We can eat this every day if it is available. However, since Tsu started making Smoked Tuna Mac, we've become so enamored that this is our preferred way to eat it, hands down.
Our tuna mac is also made with homemade noodles. I make homemade spaetzle practically every other week as it is one of my family's favorite go-to noodles all by itself. That's why I make it by the ton. lol! I will make double batches just so we can have smoked tuna mac any chance we have to get smoked tuna. Usually, the sight of nearly 4 lbs of noodles is enough to get Tsu in the mood to get the smoker going. However if he smokes enough, we usually have an abundance of smoke fish in the freezers to serve the purpose any night we want.
If you have never made spaetzle, you are missing out on a serious homemade pasta secret straight outta Germany and Austria. Like the fastest weeknight meal I make is spaetzle all by itself. But if anyone is craving it, spaetzle and cheese might just ruin you for your mama's mac n cheese too.
Here's the nitty gritty of our Smoked Tuna Mac:
- 1 lb of smoked tuna (no fresh tuna? smoke it in the can on your smoker! you heard me...)
- 1 lb of cooked macaroni or spaetzle (see my recipe for spaetzle if you need it)
- finely diced jalapenos
- capers
- finely diced red onion
- cumin seeds or ground, whichever you prefer
- salt, pepper to taste (go easy until you get the capers in as they do add a good amount of salt)
- finely diced dill pickles
- homemade mayo or aioli or whatever you prefer in that category
- fresh minced dill or cilantro
- Get yourself some noodles. I don't care what they are or how you come about them but this is a key ingredient so use your bulk noodles or make your own spaetzle in the same amount of time as you would make a box of mac.
- Smoked tuna, as little or as much as you have on hand.
- Everything in the pool, so to speak. Mix all gently until well combined.
- Serve on a bed of lettuce or just in a gigantic bowl you can drown in cuz trust me, it's that good.
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