Neapolitan Russian Pink Salad with Red Beet
Russian salad is a dish made of chopped, boiled vegetables dressed with mayonnaise and served as an appetizer (or side dish) traditionally during Christmas holidays, (in my case, the pink color makes it an ideal appetizer for Valentine’s Day as well). However, it’s a fresh dish suitable for every season, even in summer.
Russian salad is a typical Christmas appetizer from Neapolitan culinary tradition (along with the reinforcement salad) that cannot be missed on Christmas (or New Year’s). Every family has its original recipe (essentials: potatoes, carrots, and mayonnaise, but for example, zucchini or peas are not always present, personally I prefer green beans).
This family recipe was passed down to me by my mother, and the special feature of my Neapolitan Russian Pink Salad is the presence of red beet (precooked), which gives it a pleasant pink color and makes it truly tasty, because the sweetness of the beet creates a delightful contrast with the acidity of pickles and mayonnaise, and indeed it’s always a hit when I prepare it, and I’m often asked to bring it for friendly dinner gatherings.
Secrets for the perfect Russian salad: the vegetables should preferably all be the same size and cut into small pieces. Place the Russian salad in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.
You can prepare the Russian salad a day in advance, with the only precaution of storing it in the fridge and adding the beet cubes and mayonnaise only on the day it will be consumed.
The Russian salad is among my “TOP Recipes“.
If you love Neapolitan cuisine, click on my Special: “Authentic Neapolitan Cuisine“.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients for Neapolitan Russian Pink Salad with Red Beet
- 10.6 oz potatoes
- 8.8 oz beet (precooked red)
- 5.3 oz green beans (I use frozen)
- 3.5 oz carrots
- 4 eggs (hard-boiled)
- 5.3 oz vegetable pickles (well drained)
- 1.8 oz pickles (I use Saclà or Ponti)
- 3.5 oz green olives
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 16.4 oz mayonnaise (I use Calvé (or Kraft))
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper (optional)
- to taste prawns (peeled or shrimp for decoration OPTIONAL)
- to taste parsley (for decoration, optional)
Tools
- Bowls
- Vegetable Cutter
- Cutting Board
- Pots
- Tray oval
Steps for Neapolitan Russian Pink Salad with Red Beet
Wash the potatoes, put them in a pot with plenty of cold water and a pinch of coarse salt, and cook for about 30 minutes from boiling.
Peel the carrots and boil them in cold salted water for about 10 minutes from boiling.
Cook the eggs in cold water for about 10 minutes from boiling.
Cook the frozen green beans in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes.
Let all the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs cool well.
Pit the green olives and cut them into pieces.
With a vegetable slicer and a cutting board, cut all the vegetables into small pieces, possibly of the same size, the green beans (150 g weighed frozen) and the pickles into chunks, and the potatoes, beet (I use vacuum-packed precooked), pickles, and carrots into small dice (about 1 cm).
When the vegetables are cooled, also cut the hard-boiled eggs into small pieces, (leaving a few slices whole for surface decoration).
Season the cold vegetables mixed with pickles, olives, and hard-boiled eggs with salt and 70 ml of extra virgin olive oil, then add the mayonnaise and pepper (optional) and mix everything well.
Take an oval plate and arrange the pink Russian salad and decorate as you like, I garnished with green beans, slices of hard-boiled eggs, and parsley, but for example: in the center or on the sides you can add boiled scampi (or small shrimp) seasoned with oil and lemon.
Once you have seasoned and arranged the Russian salad on the serving plate, place it in the refrigerator for at least two hours, then after two hours, take it out and consume it after 15 minutes (it should be cool, but not frozen).
Notes and Tips
Russian salad can serve as: an aperitif, appetizer, or side dish.
Russian salad can serve as: an aperitif, appetizer, or side dish.
Shopping Tips !!!
To cut the vegetables all the same size, I use this handy multifunctional vegetable chopper
For this recipe, I also used this practical bamboo cutting board with two convenient side trays (one for collecting chopped foods and one for scraps).
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How do you store Russian salad? Can it be frozen?
Russian salad is kept in the refrigerator, preferably in an airtight container (or covered with plastic wrap) for up to 3 days. It should NOT be frozen, as it’s highly discouraged because it would become watery.
What are the origins of Russian salad?
The origins of Russian salad are quite uncertain, there are various hypotheses: the first hypothesis traces the birth of Russian salad to the Kingdom of Savoy in the 19th century. It is said that the court chef, on the occasion of the Tsar’s visit to Italy at the end of the century, wanted to recreate a dish based on vegetables common in Russia, such as potatoes and carrots. The recipe included a mix of vegetables cut into cubes, combined with a creamy cream that was supposed to resemble snow. In honor of such a guest, the dish was named “Russian salad.” The second hypothesis, more accredited, attributes the creation of the dish to the second half of the 19th century, by Lucien Olivier, a French chef, in the kitchens of the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow. Also called Olivier salad, it quickly became a symbol dish of the establishment. The recipe included partridges, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickled cucumbers, black truffles, river crayfish, gelatin cubes, and pickles. The great success of the Olivier Salad made it so famous that it was published in important cooking magazines that spread the dish worldwide.
