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A woman at a potluck once asked my mother why she had put dessert on the salad table. My mother looked her straight in the eye and said, it’s a salad. It was a big glass bowl of Watergate salad, pale green and fluffy, full of marshmallows and pineapple and pecans, and it went on the salad table at every potluck and family reunion of the seventies, between the coleslaw and the three bean salad, and nobody thought that was strange except the woman from out of town.
Nobody has ever agreed on why it is named after the scandal. Some people say a hotel kitchen served it, some say a newspaper printed the recipe that year and somebody gave it the name of the week. My aunt said it was because it was a cover-up: everything is folded under the whipped topping. I like hers best. What everybody agrees on is that it takes five minutes, needs no stove, and is gone before the fried chicken. The one rule is the pineapple juice. You do not drain the pineapple. The juice dissolves the dry pudding mix and sets it, and without it the salad is gritty and runny.
Why this Watergate salad works
- The pineapple juice sets the pudding. The dry pistachio pudding mix dissolves in the juice and thickens it, which is what holds the salad together.
- Whipped topping folded in gently. Folding, not stirring hard, keeps the salad light and fluffy instead of flat.
- Mini marshmallows. They soften as the salad chills and take on the pistachio flavor.
- Pecans for crunch. They are the only crunch in the bowl and keep it from tasting like pudding alone.
Ingredients
Makes about 6 cups, enough for 10 servings at a potluck. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
- 1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix, 3.4 ounces (96g), dry, not prepared
- 1 can crushed pineapple, 20 ounces (567g), with all its juice
- 3 cups whipped topping (about 8 ounces, 225g), thawed
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows (75g)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans (55g)
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (20g), optional
Use instant pudding mix, not the cook-and-serve kind, and do not make it up with milk. It goes into the bowl dry. Thaw frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
How to make Watergate salad
- Put the dry pistachio pudding mix in a large bowl.
- Add the crushed pineapple with all of its juice and stir for about a minute, until the pudding mix has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale green.
- Add the whipped topping and fold it in gently with a spatula until no white streaks remain.
- Fold in the mini marshmallows and the chopped pecans.
- Fold in the shredded coconut if your family was a coconut family.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 60 minutes, until set. Stir once gently before serving.
Tips that make the difference
- Never drain the pineapple. The juice is what makes the pudding set.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet for 5 minutes before chopping. It makes the whole salad taste richer.
- Make it the night before a potluck. The marshmallows soften and the flavors come together.
- Serve it in a glass bowl. Half the charm is that green color.
Variations
- Cherries on top. Scatter a few halved maraschino cherries over the top before serving, the way it looked at every reunion.
- Mandarin oranges. Fold in a drained can of mandarin orange segments with the marshmallows.
- Walnuts. Use chopped walnuts instead of pecans.
- Pistachio crunch. Swap half the pecans for chopped shelled pistachios.
Storage and make-ahead
Watergate salad keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The marshmallows keep softening, which most people like.
Keep it cold. It is best served straight from the refrigerator and should not sit out on a warm potluck table for more than a couple of hours.
It does not freeze well. The whipped topping weeps when it thaws.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Watergate salad?
Nobody knows for sure. The recipe became popular in the seventies, around the time of the scandal, and the name stuck. My aunt said it was because everything is covered up under the whipped topping.
Is Watergate salad a salad or a dessert?
It is a sweet dessert salad, and in the old potluck tradition it goes on the salad table anyway. Serve it wherever your family argues it belongs.
Do I drain the crushed pineapple?
No. The juice dissolves the dry pudding mix and sets it. Drained, the salad will be grainy and will not thicken.
Can I use real whipped cream?
Yes. Whip 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar to stiff peaks and fold it in. It is richer but holds a little less well, so eat it within a day.
Pudding mix into the pineapple, juice and all, fold in the rest, and chill. Then put it on the salad table and look anyone who asks straight in the eye.
Watergate Salad (Pistachio Fluff with Pineapple and Pecans)
Old-fashioned Watergate salad, the green pistachio fluff of every seventies potluck: instant pistachio pudding mix stirred into crushed pineapple with its juice, whipped topping, mini marshmallows, pecans and a little coconut. No stove, five minutes, chilled 60 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix, 3.4 ounces (96g), dry, not prepared
- 1 can crushed pineapple, 20 ounces (567g), with all its juice
- 3 cups whipped topping (about 8 ounces, 225g), thawed
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (20g), optional
Instructions
- Put the dry pistachio pudding mix in a large bowl.
- Add the crushed pineapple with all of its juice and stir for about a minute, until the pudding mix has dissolved and the mixture is thick and pale green.
- Add the whipped topping and fold it in gently with a spatula until no white streaks remain.
- Fold in the mini marshmallows and the chopped pecans.
- Fold in the shredded coconut if your family was a coconut family.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 60 minutes, until set. Stir once gently before serving.
