A light tropical take on traditional potato salad. This Hawaiian Potato Salad is sweet, spicy and full of island flavor. Roasted Potatoes, fried spam and a sweet Thai chili vinaigrette. What more could you want!

How to Roast Potatoes for Hawaiian Potato Salad.

For this Hawaiian Potato Salad recipe I chose Yukon gold potatoes. They have a creamy texture and beautiful golden color. When cutting the potatoes make sure you cut the potatoes into even sized pieces so they cook evenly. Some potatoes you will quarter and others just slice in half.  Next, lightly toss the potatoes in oil then season with Togarashi and bbq dry rub. Spread the potatoes out on a sheet pan lined with parchment and roast for about 20 minutes at 425 degrees F. Poke the potato with a paring knife or a toothpick to check that the potatoes are fully cooked. This Hawaiian Potato Salad was the perfect side Dish with my Sweet & Spicy Hawaiian Spare Ribs

History of Spam

Spam was created by Hormel meats in 1937. The name came to be as guests at a dinner party hosted by Jay Hormel were offered a free drink if they wrote down a name for their new canned meat product. One of the guests blurted out SPAM and the name stuck. During the Second World War Hormel Shipped tens of millions of cans of spam to soldiers fighting abroad. Even Russian soldiers remarked of having to live off spam when supply chains were cut off. Hormel received high praise for their contributions to the war effort.

After the war restrictions were placed on Hawaii’s deep sea fishing industry which was worked by a high number of Asian Americans. In addition Spam is credited with saving much of the population from starvation due to the fishing restrictions and other food shortages. Even today Hawaiians eat over 7 million cans of spam a year. They are only second to Guam for the highest consumption per capita. There are 15 varieties of spam sold in over 44 different countries.

A Monty Python sketch involving Vikings singing spam, spam, spam in loud crescendos actually gave birth to the phrase we now associate with unwanted emails. Spam even came out with a limited edition can to celebrate the Broadway debut of the Monty Python musical “Spamalot”

Preparing the Sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette 

Thai Chili Sauce is one of my absolute favorite ingredients. On its own it is a fantastic dipping sauce or marinade but can also be the base for a delicious vinaigrette. Adding fresh pineapple, soy and sriracha adds a wonderful depth of flavor that can be brought together in the blender with a drizzle of avocado oil.

Thai Chili Vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup Thai Chili Sauce
• ¼ cup Avocado Oil
• 2 tbsp Scallions
• 2 tbsp Chopped Cilantro or Parsley
• ¼ cup Diced Pineapple2 tbsp Sriracha
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

More Tasty Summer Sides

• Low Fat Pasta Salad that Actually Tastes Good!!
• Corn & Avocado Summer Salad
• Easy Cheesy Smoked Mac & Cheese
• Cast Iron Smoked Barbecue Beans w/ Sausage
• Kale Rockefeller
• Low Carb Cauliflower Tabouli
• Kimchi Coleslaw

Hawaiian Potato Salad w/ Fried Spam

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Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, BBQ

Keyword: Hawaiian, Potato salad, Spam

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 364kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
• 1 cup Diced Pineapple
• 1 can Spam
• 1/2 cup Diced Bell Peppers
• 1/2 cup Diced Red Onion
• 1/4 cup Banana Peppers
• 2 tbsp Shredded Coconut
• 2 Tbsp Scallions
• 2 tbsp Cilantro
• 1 tbsp BBQ Dry Rub

Sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
• 1/4 cup Avocado Oil
• 1/4 cup Diced Pineapple
• 2 tbsp Sriracha
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Instructions

• Dice the Potatoes into even sized pieces then toss in avocado oil then season with dry rub. Spread out on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 425 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked. Let cool to room temperature
• Slice spam into 1/2 inch cubes and saute in a pan until golden and crispy on all sides (5-7 minutes) set aside to cool
• Prepare the dressing by blending all the ingredients until oil has emulsified into the dressing.
• Chop pineapple, peppers, onions and cilantro then combine in a large bowl along with potatoes and spam. pour in vinaigrette and fold together. Garnish with Shredded coconut and scallions.

Nutrition

Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 1131mg | Potassium: 741mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg