RUSSIAN SALAD WITH TUNA
Russian salad with tuna is an easy-to-prepare dish with a rich flavor, a great classic especially on holiday menus, but perfect as an appetizer for a buffet, for aperitif time, or for any occasion or Sunday lunch.
Like all traditional recipes, there are many variations, almost every family has their own. The one I present today is a super-tested recipe, let’s say it’s my mother-in-law’s flagship, who has been preparing it this way for years.
In this Russian salad with tuna recipe, I used potatoes, carrots, frozen peas, and of course mayonnaise, but unlike the classic version of Russian salad, in this case, tuna in oil and anchovies are added to create a sort of tuna sauce.
Preparing Russian salad is very easy. You just need to boil the vegetables in salted water, drain them, put them in a bowl, and then mix them with the tuna sauce and hard-boiled eggs. Let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours to let it soak up the flavors and become even more delicious, and then you’ll be ready to plate it.
At that point, you can decide whether to create a scenic dish by placing the Russian salad on a serving platter and decorating it with hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, pickles, olives, but also shrimp, smoked salmon, or lumpfish roe. Choose based on your creativity or simply what you already have available.
Let’s prepare this super tasty Russian salad with tuna sauce together! And if you’re looking for more appetizer ideas, check out these recipes
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 175.56 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 15.95 (g) of which sugars 2.47 (g)
- Proteins 14.77 (g)
- Fat 5.78 (g) of which saturated 1.30 (g)of which unsaturated 2.98 (g)
- Fibers 3.09 (g)
- Sodium 376.13 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 75 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
What you need to make Russian salad
For the Russian salad with tuna recipe, you can choose to use ready-made mayonnaise or make it at home (find my recipe HERE). At the end of the procedure, you will also find how to prepare it with the Bimby.
- 2 potatoes (medium)
- 2 carrots (medium)
- 3.5 oz peas (frozen or canned)
- 2 eggs
- 4 pickles (optional)
- 7 oz mayonnaise
- 5 oz tuna in oil (drained)
- 4 fillets anchovies in oil
- to taste salt
- olives (black or green pitted)
- hard-boiled eggs
- giardiniera (pickled)
- shrimp (boiled)
- smoked salmon
- parsley
Tools
- Knife
- Pot
- Small Pot
- Blender
HOW TO MAKE RUSSIAN SALAD WITH TUNA
For the Russian salad with tuna recipe, you can choose to use ready-made mayonnaise or make it at home (find my recipe HERE). At the end of the procedure, you will also find how to prepare mayonnaise with the Bimby.
Clean the carrots: trim them, peel them, and then cut them into very small cubes. Peel the potatoes and then cut them into cubes as well, trying to make them similar to the carrots.
Cook the peas in a pot with plenty of salted water. After 4 minutes from when it boils, add the potatoes. You will see that the water will stop boiling. Once it starts boiling again, cook for another 2 minutes. Add the carrots and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Then drain the vegetables and transfer them to a bowl to cool. If you have decided to use the pickles, cut them into very small cubes.
In the meantime, prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Cook them in boiling water for about 9 minutes. After the time has passed, drain them, let them cool a bit, and then peel them carefully without breaking them. Then cut them into small cubes.
To prepare the tuna sauce, put the drained tuna in oil, anchovies, and mayonnaise in the blender, then blend until you get a smooth and homogeneous sauce. If you like the taste, you can add desalted capers. Make a little more, and you can use it for many tasty dishes: check out THIS collection.
At this point, you are ready to assemble all the ingredients of the Russian salad. Put the cooked vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, pickles (optional), and tuna sauce in a large bowl and mix with a spoon until the sauce completely coats the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge to rest for 1 or 2 hours: it will become much tastier!
After the time in the fridge, you can plate the Russian salad with tuna. You can choose to place it on a serving platter and decorate it with pickles, fresh parsley, hard-boiled eggs, or whatever your imagination suggests. Or serve it as a single portion in glass cups or on individual plates, compacting it with a round mold. Get creative with the presentation to serve an appetizer that is not only tasty but also beautiful and refined.
NOTES AND TIPS
VEGETABLES: For this Russian salad with tuna recipe, I used potatoes, peas, and carrots. However, you can decide to enrich it by adding, for example: boiled green beans, cauliflower, roasted peppers, pickled giardiniera.
RUSSIAN SALAD WITH TUNA VARIATION: Using the same procedure and replacing the tuna, you can prepare the Russian salad with smoked salmon or shrimp. And maybe decorate it with lumpfish roe.
BIMBY MAYONNAISE METHOD
Homemade mayonnaise is definitely tastier, and preparing it with the Bimby is very easy and quick. Here’s what you need to make the classic mayonnaise recipe:
BIMBY MAYONNAISE INGREDIENTS
250 ml of sunflower oil, 1 egg (60 g), 2 yolks, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of vinegar, ½ teaspoon of salt.
BIMBY MAYONNAISE PROCEDURE
Put the egg, yolks, lemon juice, and salt in the bowl. Emulsify: 5 min./speed 4, while slowly pouring the oil onto the lid of the bowl, letting it drizzle in. Your Bimby mayonnaise is ready to be used or stored in the fridge in a jar.
STORAGE
Russian salad with tuna can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days. This preparation is not suitable for freezing due to the presence of mayonnaise, as it would alter the texture of the dish.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why is it called Russian salad?
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 like potatoes and carrots. The recipe featured a composition of diced vegetables, bound by creamy cream meant to resemble snow.
What’s inside Russian salad?
There are many recipes for Russian salad. What you often find in almost every recipe is boiled vegetables (diced potatoes, peas, carrots, and pickles) and hard-boiled eggs, all dressed with mayonnaise.
How long does Russian salad last in the fridge?
Once prepared, it should be transferred to an airtight container and placed in the refrigerator. Under these conditions, it stays fresh for 2-3 days, after which the mayonnaise can start to separate, and the vegetables start to lose texture.
When do you eat Russian salad?
Russian salad can be served as an appetizer but also as a side dish. It is a must-have dish for holiday menus like Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter but excellent all year round at buffets or for a standing aperitif. A classic recipe that never tires, always appreciated by everyone.
What’s the difference between Russian salad and Capricciosa salad?
Capricciosa salad differs from Russian mainly for two reasons: the vegetables are raw and are cut into julienne strips instead of cubes.
How is Russian salad served?
Some people love Russian salad with breadsticks, focaccia, or a piece of toasted bread; others adore it as a filling for ham rolls or even hard-boiled eggs. You can also fill puff pastry vol-au-vents or cones with Russian salad, or use it as a filling for toast or sandwiches.
