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.
