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One of my favorite snacks to keep around the apartment is a dish of egg, tuna, or chicken salad. Occasionally, I will make pimento cheese, but usually just buy Price's. I've also done ham salad a few times, using your typical water cured ham scraps and also those from a genuine Smithfield as well. Some saltine crackers and I'm good to go. Must be my southern heritage and also the fact that at work, I'm surrounded by beef tenderloin, lamb rack and the like, and therefore crave more homestyle type dishes when away from work.

I remember a thread on oyster roasts on the other board, under general topics, and a recipe for a sardine dip (to be eaten with ritz crackers) which a South Carolinian mentioned was mandatoryat such events. Gotta try this sometime. GWiv, are you listening?

Although most recipes call for boiled or poached, I am convinced that roasted or baked gives better results.

One of the Dallas suburban Boston Chicken (before they became Boston Market) stores had a really nice chicken salad. Large strips of freshly roasted bird, diced celery, plenty of mayo, salt and black pepper. I don't recommend what they are selling these days.

A huge Dallas convention hotel where I spent many years (Loews Anatole) had a version with diced roasted white meat, celery, apple, split grapes, pecans, and then the mayo, s & p, which was really popular and a favorite of Mary Kay Ash. (My F & b director once asked me to cook, shell, and cut into small pieces a lobster, for her aging poodle. I refused . A sous chef had to do it).

I remember doing a James Beard version quite a while ago which contained walnuts, celery, and tarragon, which was nice for a change.

My mother did the good old southern version with mayo, celery, and sweet pickle relish, which could be enjoyed on soft white bread or toast at many dime and drug store fountains. I had this type last night on wonder bread.

What's your favorite version?

Evil Ronnie

I recently had two noteworthy chicken salads.

the first was from Whole Foods on N. Ashland. It was called a Sonoma Chicken salad, or something similar and added nice purple seedless grapes and slivered almonds. Very tasty, large chunks of chicken breast and I think some poppy seeds for added texture. Just the right amount of mayonnaise to keep it together. I was shocked however to find that my wife had greenlighted this purchase at 10.99 (!) a pound. That makes future purchase probably cost-prohibitive.

The other was a chicken salad salsa from Treasure Island. I'm not exactly certain what this orangish puree contained, but it was flat-out delicious. The texture was similar to a port-wine cheese spread with a few notches of spice and finely chopped/shredded chicken throughout. It is more of a cracker spread than a meal in itself, but I'm on the lookout for it again.

the chicken salad I prefer to make at home has plenty of celery chunks and curry powder mixed into the mayonnaise. We're primarily white meat-only chicken salad people, but if you're using light mayo, I like some dark meat for extra flavoring (sort of negates the light mayo, I know).

The key was the heavy mayo, the real stuff.

Boston Market is not selling the chicken salad anymore (at least in the couple stores near Des Plaines).

I like my chicken salad w/mayo, slight diced celery, black pepper.

Sometimes I'll throw in some (or all) of the following: cashews, sliced grapes, curry powder.

Put it in a wrap and man that is a good sandwich.

I've used a recipe several times from the All Around the World Cookbook by Sheila Lukins (half of Silver Palate). Basically it's mayo and yogurt, some curry powder and mango chutney, peanuts, bits of tart apple and toasted coconut. Got some kick to it if you use a good curry powder, more robust than your average chicken salad.

Evil,

Here's the Sardine recipe I, as you guessed, saved, though I haven't made it yet. Let's add this to the menu when we get together for gravlax made from Copper River, cracker crumb fried shrimp, pimento cheese and pulled pork.

I've been thinking about those shrimp ever since I heard your description of the recipe, I guess you just can't beat the combination of professional chef and native of the South. Speaking of combinations, where the heck did you ever come up with the idea of putting duck fat in your matzo balls?

By the way, have you had Erik's pimento cheese? Erik makes a slightly adapted recipe from Saveur that's just excellent.

Enjoy,
Gary
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Sardine Dip

Sandy@gwm.sc.edu (Sandy)


Sardine Dip is a traditional dip served at oyster roasts in the lowcountry area around Charleston. It is served with Ritz crackers. The practice is to eat the crackers and dip while the first batch of oysters is roasting, then eat as many oysters as you can, then return to the dip, then the oysters, then the dip, etc.

The "recipe" is:

Cans of sardines (in oil, as many as you need)
Enough mayonnaise to make it of the proper consistency (It should be moderately stiff, to stay on the cracker while the eater wanders around with a beer, talking to others)
Grated onion (to taste)
Powdered mustard (to taste)
Black Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste, if needed)
Tabasco (to taste, generally not too much)

Mix the whole mess together, chill if made too far ahead of time, and serve with Ritz crackers.

The proper wine to accompany this dish is ice-cold beer.

The appearance (sort of grey, with little black flecks) sometimes puts newcomers off, but it's actually very good, if served under the proper circumstances - i.e., in semi-darkness around a roasting rig (outdoor brick grill with a heavy piece of sheetiron or boiler plate as the roasting surface), on a cool to cold night, plenty of oysters and beer and people. I've never seen it served with any kinds of crackers except Ritz - any attempts to get upscale or toney with this dish is doomed to failure, as well as well-deserved vengeance wreaked by the food gods.

Leftover dip can be made into sandwiches, but after eating them exhalation will tend to attract cats and repel people.

Hi,

When Dominick's, pre Safeway's evisceration, used to have rotating samples at the Deli counter. One of my favorites was a Curried chicken salad with dried cranberries, though delicious it always needed a tad bit of salt. Lately, there is this presumption if they use enough spices they can reduce or eliminate salt. Sometimes a bit of salt rounds off the seasoning.

It is roughly mayonaise, celery, some grated onion, curry powder, chopped walnuts, lime juice ... just googled where I found an recipe on the Ocean Spray website. Note I would likely increase the curry powder and salt & pepper to taste at the very least:

http://www.oceanspray.com/recipes/recipes/sidedishes/CurriedCranberryChickenSalad.asp

We rarely have leftover chicken in our house or when I do I am more likely to make pilaf. When I have leftover Turkey, then I will make soup, curry and a chicken-type salad.

If one were to cook a chicken exclusively for making chicken salad, then would you poach or roast. My inclination for this end-use is to poach. What do you do?

Cathy2

Cathy,

I am more inclined to roast these days as the meat seems more flavorful than poached, minus the dividend of a nice stock.

Evil

I was never a fan of chicken salad till I had it from Casey's Market. Their version is a raspberry chicken salad, a little sweet but not overly so, with grapes and walnuts and other good stuff. They seem to use pretty quality chicken, too. I've never actually been to Casey's; my old roommate used to always bring the stuff home, but I'm considering a trip out to Western Springs just to get a couple pints of it.

Casey's Market
915 Burlington Avenue
Western Springs, IL

I second the recommendation of Whole Foods' Sonoma Chicken salad.

Gary, another really simple low country recipe that you might enjoy is Low Country Crab Dip. The recipe became famous at the old Trawler restaurant in Charleston that was once very good, but has fallen on hard times over the years.

It's a really simple recipe served with buttery Captains Wafers. When you visit a local seafood house, this would be a typical appetizer that your table might share while waiting on entrees to be delivered. It's addictive.

1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Crabmeat
1 tbl Horseradish
Dash Worchestershire

Instructions: Mix all ingredients and serve with Captains Wafers or other crackers of choice. For extra flavor, add more horseradish.

For the unusual... here's a complex Roast Chicken Salad recipe from today's NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/dining/091NREX.html

thanks to jes for pointing out the new forum!

of course, i had to chime in on the chicken salad thread. as jes knows, i am a salad girl at heart - i love to buy them, cook them, read about them....

i am most fond of chicken salad, egg, potato, bean, macaroni, and the list goes on & on.

just off the top of my head, i wanted to mention Swanson's Deli on 103rd St. down in west beverly. they do all the salads in your typical "basic" style, and they just do them very well. nothing earthshattering, but still good to taste good, straight-up versions of your favorites.

ok, then i had to comment on the chicken salad i *just* had for lunch. i had to pick up a graduation gift & wandered down to field's. instead of going up to the 7th floor like i usually will on a loop lunch hour, i stayed downstairs and checked out the food court. thought about the sushi, but opted to graze over the salad counter.

WOWSA - they've got TONS of stuff. i really wish they did a "trio" for the salads, but everything is done by weight. after checking out the many different chicken salads, i opted for the honey dijon version.

very simple: large pieces of chicken, celery, little white onion, dijon and s&p.

but, that with a fresh croissant & i know where i'll be heading real soon.

miss ellen

Regarding Fields. I like several of their salads. Their fruit salad comes immediately to mind. The walnut room used to do a shrimp salad in those sweet little poatato nests with date nut bread and cream cheese finger sandwiches and a lovely strawberry and whipped cream. I was devestated when they stopped serving it.

Regarding chicken salad. I make the traditional mayo and a little celery. Sometimes I throw in walnuts or almonds. I usually add grapes to mine, if it's not for a sandwich. Recently I didn't have any grapes and I threw in some dried cherries instead. It was good.

I liked the Sonoma chicken salad from WF too. I've pretty much given up buying foods from their deli, though; it's just too frustrating.

For homemade chicken salad, I like a vinaigrette recipe like the Nigella one posted upthread. If I'm going to make a mayo-based salad I usually use turkey breast. I quite often cook a boneless breast from WF just to have turkey meat for salads and sandwiches. My usual dressing is a mixture of mayo and Total greek yogurt, lemon juice, chopped scallions, sometimes with curry powder or an Asian spice mixture.

my favorite chicken salad recipe comes from one of my favorite artists-the late, great painter Milton Avery. its a great pleasure to know this is his. here it is: chicken(i'm a dark meat lover); mayo; cilantro; scallions; soy sauce; sesame seeds; black pepper; and dark sesame oil. this is all mixed to taste. i recommend adding the sesame oil last, as needed. this is wonderful, justjoan (AKA joan)