Pickle your Green Goddess dressing
The only complaint I’ve ever had about classic deli macaroni salad (and it is a very minor complaint in the grand scheme of nearly perfect summer foods) is that it can sometimes drift into “mayo-slicked noodle” territory. Creamy is the point, of course, but after a few bites, everything can start tasting a little… beige.
I wanted something that still felt unmistakably like the macaroni salad you’d pile onto a paper plate at a backyard cookout, just with a little more lift.
Green Goddess turned out to be the answer. All those soft herbs bring freshness without sacrificing the comfort factor, making the dressing feel as creamy as ever but far less one-note. Then I remembered a Green Goddess recipe I’d made years ago that called for a generous splash of dill pickle brine. It wasn’t enough to make the dressing taste like pickles, exactly.
Instead, it seemed to wake the herbs up, sharpening their edges and giving the whole thing just enough brightness to keep the carbs from feeling sleepy. That became the guiding idea for this salad.
So before anything goes into the blender, all those verdant dressing ingredients — parsley, dill, chives, basil, cilantro, tarragon, whatever herbs are threatening to wilt in your crisper drawer — take a quick bath in dill pickle brine. Even the garlic gets to join the party.
From there, it’s classic Green Goddess by way of the supermarket deli. The quick-pickled herbs are blended with Greek yogurt, good mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice and, because we’re fully committing to the bit, an actual dill pickle or two. (“Pickle-maxxing,” if you ask the internet.) The result is improbably green, deeply herby and just tangy enough to keep you going back for another forkful.
Fold the dressing through elbow macaroni, then lean into the nostalgia. Cubes of sharp white cheddar bring that unmistakable Midwestern deli-counter energy, while chopped cucumber, snap peas, shaved celery and scallions keep everything cool and crunchy.
Pickled Green Goddess macaroni salad
Yields
6 servings
Prep Time
20 minutes, plus chilling
Cook Time
7-12 minutes (for pasta)
Ingredients
For the pickled Green Goddess dressing
- 1 packed cup mixed fresh herbs (any combination of parsley, dill, basil, cilantro, tarragon and chives)
- 1 garlic clove
- ⅓ cup dill pickle juice
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup good mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 dill pickles
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the salad
- 12 ounces elbow macaroni
- 6 ounces sharp white cheddar, cut into small cubes
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 cup chopped sugar snap peas
- 2 celery stalks, thinly shaved
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- Extra chopped fresh dill, for finishing
Directions
- Give the herbs a pickle bath. Combine the herbs and garlic in a small bowl with the dill pickle juice. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes while the pasta cooks. It doesn’t take long—the herbs will stay bright but pick up an extra layer of tangy, dilly flavor.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni until just past al dente so it stays tender once chilled. Drain and rinse under cold water until completely cool, then drain well.
- Blend the dressing. Transfer the herbs and their pickle juice to a blender. Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, dill pickles and Dijon. Blend until completely smooth and brilliantly green. Season generously with salt and black pepper, tasting as you go—the dressing should be punchy enough that you’d happily eat it with a spoon.
- Build the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooled macaroni with the cucumber, snap peas, celery, scallions and cheddar. Pour over the dressing and toss until every noodle is evenly coated.
- Let it mingle. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so the dressing can settle into the pasta. Just before serving, fold in a handful of chopped fresh dill and taste again. If it needs a little lift, add another squeeze of lemon or a splash of pickle juice.
This story originally appeared in The Bite, my weekly food newsletter for Salon. If you enjoyed it and would like more essays, recipes, technique explainers and interviews sent straight to your inbox, subscribe here.
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