Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad

While the pineapple and shrimp combination of this Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad may sound a bit bizarre, it sure is a tasty combination!  So good it'll have you coming back for more, for sure.
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Pineapple and shrimp sounds like a bit of a bizarre combination for macaroni salad, doesn't it?

That's exactly what I was thinking when I came across the recipe that inspired this version of macaroni salad.  The base recipe was in an Amish cookbook my 9-year-old daughter gave me as a sweet little "just because" gift one day.  Knowing my love of cooking and reading cookbooks, she loves to randomly bring cookbooks home for me that she finds when she's out-and-about with her dad.  It's very sweet.

When I first thumbed through the cookbook, their recipe for a shrimp and pineapple macaroni salad caught my attention right away.  I was intrigued by the bit-bizarre sounding flavor combination, and of course, had to give it a try.

The curry flavor and sweetness of the pineapple go really nicely together.  And both compliment the shrimp beautifully, too - creating one very tasty macaroni salad, indeed.

As you can probably guess since I'm sharing this Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad recipe here on the blog, the combination of flavors is really quite tasty!

Pineapple and shrimp are both pretty mild flavors, so the macaroni salad gets a bump of flavor from curry powder, which reminded me of a curried chicken salad I make and absolutely love.

The curry powder is blended into the macaroni salad's dressing.  When the salad's all mixed together, the curry flavor and sweetness of the pineapple go really nicely together.  And both compliment the shrimp beautifully, too - creating one very tasty macaroni salad, indeed.

I did find the original recipe to be a bit too mild-flavored, so made a few changes to give it a boost.  The simple additions of salt, pepper, and a good dose of green onions went a long way in pushing this recipe's flavor over the finish line!  

To make the Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad, start by preparing the dressing.

The dressing is made with pineapple juice and curry powder as the base, and plays a big part in delivering up the salad's great flavor.

To make the base of the dressing, place pineapple juice, curry powder, salt, pepper, and some cornstarch in a saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until it's thickened.

It should easily coat a spoon or spatula once it's thickened - about like this:

Then blend the cooled pineapple juice-curry mixture with sour cream and mayonnaise to finish off the dressing.

Now, curry powder can come in many different spice combinations - some spicy, and some not.

When making this macaroni salad, I use the not-spicy kind.  Look for a basic yellow, mild curry powder blend - which should be readily available in any basic grocery store.

It's got a rich, almost sweet flavor with no spiciness at all. 

Once the dressing is done, move onto assembling the macaroni salad.

In a large bowl, combine cooked cooled macaroni, pineapple chunks, chopped red pepper, chopped green onions, and some beautiful peeled shrimp.

Then pour in the prepared pineapple-curry dressing:

And give the mixture is good, gently toss to get everything well-coated in the dressing.

Refrigerate the salad for at least two hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.

The flavors truly do continue to come together and get more flavorful the longer the macaroni salad sits. 

And honestly, I recommend chilling it for even longer than that if time permits.  The flavors truly do continue to come together and get more flavorful the longer the macaroni salad sits.  Make it the day before you plan to serve it, if you can.

At serving time, taste the salad and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. I typically add about another ¼ to ½ teaspoon of salt to brighten the flavor.

So it turns out - while pineapple and shrimp may sound like a bizarre combination for macaroni salad, it sure is a tasty one!

We hope you and your crew enjoy its tastiness as much as we do.

Check out these other super tasty pasta salad recipes:

• Amish Macaroni Salad
• Ham & Cheese Macaroni Salad
• Loaded Baked Potato Macaroni Salad
• Copycat KFC Macaroni Salad
• Antipasto Pasta Salad
• Ma's Picnic Pasta Salad
• Summer Vegetable Tortellini Salad
• Broccoli Pasta Salad with Grapes
• Sun Dried Tomato, Artichoke, & Fresh Basil Pasta Salad
• Pesto Tortellini Salad with Asparagus
• More salad recipes

 Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

macaroni salad, pasta salad, shrimp, shrimp salad

Salads

Yield: 10-12 servings

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad

While the pineapple and shrimp combination of this Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad may sound a bit bizarre, it sure is a tasty combination! So good it'll have you coming back for more, for sure.

prep time: 20 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 40 M

ingredients:

• 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks (+ ¾ cup of the juice)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/3 c. mayonnaise
• 1/3 c. sour cream
• 2 ½ c. uncooked elbow macaroni (or small pasta shells)
• 1 lb. cooked medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper (about ½ of a pepper)
• 1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 3 or 4 green onions)

instructions:

How to cook Pineapple Shrimp Macaroni Salad

1. Drain pineapple chunks, reserving ¾ cup juice.
2. Place pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Add cornstarch, curry powder, salt, and pepper; whisk to remove any cornstarch lumps. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and boil until thickened. Cool. Once cooled, stir in mayonnaise and sour cream.
3. Cook macaroni in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
4. Add pineapple, shrimp, chopped red pepper, and chopped green onions to the macaroni; toss gently to combine. Add pineapple dressing and toss gently to coat.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld.
6. At serving time, taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. I typically add about another ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt to brighten the flavor.

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You might also like these other tasty pasta salad recipes:

Amish Macaroni Salad

Ma's Picnic Pasta Salad

Summer Vegetable Tortellini Salad

Loaded Baked Potato Macaroni Salad

Antipasto Pasta Salad

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This post is linked with Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday.