Jalisco Macaroni Salad (Ensalada de Coditos)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large stockpot for boiling the coditos
• •Colander with small enough holes to hold elbow macaroni
• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Flexible spatula or wide serving spoon
• •Large glazed barro or Tonala-style serving bowl

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the coditos

   Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil and salt it well. Add the coditos and cook until tender, not hard in the center. This is a cold Mexican party salad, not an Italian pasta course. If the pasta is too firm, it turns stiff after chilling.

2. 2

   Cool the pasta

   Drain the coditos and rinse briefly under cool water to stop the cooking and wash off extra surface starch. Shake the colander hard so water doesn't hide inside the elbows. Wet pasta makes watery salad. Spread the coditos on a tray for 10 minutes so they cool evenly.

3. 3

   Mix the dressing

   In a large bowl, whisk the crema, mayonnaise, jalapeño brine, mustard, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Taste it before the pasta goes in. It should be creamy first, then lightly sharp from the escabeche. If it tastes flat, add another spoonful of brine. My mother was right about that.

4. 4

   Fold the salad

   Add the cooled coditos, ham, carrot, corn, peas, chopped jalapeño en escabeche, white onion, and cilantro if using. Fold with a wide spoon, slowly, so the pasta stays whole and every elbow gets coated. Do not beat it into paste. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo, even with coditos.

   Dice the ham and carrots small enough to fit inside a spoonful with the pasta. Big chunks make the salad clumsy.
5. 5

   Chill and adjust

   Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The pasta will drink some of the dressing as it chills. Before serving, stir once and taste again. If it needs loosening, add a spoonful of crema. If it needs life, add jalapeño brine. Not more mayonnaise. Mayonnaise makes it heavier; brine wakes it up.

6. 6

   Serve cold

   Spoon the salad into a wide serving bowl and set extra chile jalapeño en escabeche on the side for the people who want more bite. Serve cold with saltines or tostadas. This is food for a crowded table, made ahead, carried across town, and eaten with cousins talking too loudly. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Use Mexican crema, not sour cream. Sour cream is thicker and sharper, and it pulls the dressing in the wrong direction. If you have a Mexican market nearby, ask for crema de rancho.
• •The chile is jalapeño en escabeche, not fresh serrano, not canned green chile, not pickled banana pepper. You need the vinegar, carrot, onion, and chile flavor from the jar. That brine is part of the seasoning.
• •Do not overcook the vegetables. The carrot should be tender but still hold its cube shape. Mushy carrot disappears into the dressing and makes the salad look tired.
• •This salad is served cold, but not icy. Pull it from the refrigerator 10 minutes before serving so the crema softens and coats the pasta properly.
• •If you add canned pineapple, you are making another family version. It exists in Mexican kitchens, yes. For this Jalisco party-table version, the bite comes from escabeche, not syrup.

Advance Preparation

• •The salad can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Stir before serving and adjust with a spoonful of crema or jalapeño brine.
• •Cook the carrots, corn, and peas up to 2 days ahead. Keep them chilled and well drained so they do not water down the dressing.
• •Do not freeze ensalada de coditos. The crema breaks and the pasta turns soft. Some foods are for the refrigerator, not the freezer. Así se hace y punto.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 265g)