The Russian Salad or Olivier salad is a famous appetizer made with mayonnaise and vegetables, mainly prepared during the Christmas holidays. An unquestionably delicious recipe, but with rather controversial origins and name. In Italy, it is known as Russian salad, while in Russia and other countries it is known as Italian salad. Moreover, the origins are debated because although it is generally believed that the origin of this dish is attributed to Belgian chef Olivier in 1860, it seems that there were earlier versions already called Russian Salad which included many ingredients not present in the current recipe, such as tuna, crab, lobster, beetroot, ham, etc. (Source Wikipedia) The recipe we offer you is the Russian salad recipe that we have been preparing at home for years and has never disappointed expectations!
The recipe is very simple: after boiling and cooking all the vegetables while keeping them crunchy (except for the pickles) and the eggs, we cut them all into cubes of the same size and season them with oil, vinegar, and salt. Separately, we prepare the mayonnaise using an immersion blender and there it is ready; we add it to the vegetables, mixing everything well. We leave the Russian salad in the fridge for at least 2 hours before enjoying it.
Delicious and with a great scenic impact, but simple to prepare and also very practical because we can prepare it in advance, indeed the longer it rests in the fridge, the better it will be. And then we can serve it as a side dish, as an appetizer, or use it in other preparations, like filling vol au vent, tartines or sandwiches. Perfect for Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, and in general on any festive occasion, you just have to try the Russian salad.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for preparing Russian Salad
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 2 1/2 cups carrots
- 2 cups peas
- 1/3 cup pickled gherkins
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt
- 1 egg (fresh and organic)
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- salt
- 1 egg
- 1 bunch parsley
Steps for preparing Russian Salad
We begin preparing the Russian salad by first preparing the vegetables: put the potatoes in a pot with cold water and boil for about 30-40 minutes from the start of boiling.
Peel the carrots and boil them for about ten minutes or until they are soft but still crunchy.
Boil the peas for a few minutes as well.
Prepare hard-boiled eggs by placing them in cold water and boiling them for 7 minutes from the start of boiling.
Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch cubes. Also, dice the carrots, gherkins, and peeled eggs, trying to cut them all to the same size.
In the meantime, prepare the mayonnaise: put the egg, oil, lemon juice, and salt in a tall container and blend with an immersion blender. Keeping the blender still at the bottom without rotating it, you will notice that a sauce begins to form in a few seconds, so continue blending to incorporate the remaining oil and you will end up with mayonnaise of the right consistency.
Combine all the vegetables and hard-boiled eggs in a bowl and season with salt, oil, and vinegar.
Add the mayonnaise as well and mix everything well to combine all the ingredients.
Seal the Russian salad with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
You can serve it decorated with a sliced hard-boiled egg and a sprig of parsley or use it in many preparations.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store the Russian salad in the fridge for up to 3 days tightly sealed in an airtight container. It cannot be stored in the freezer.
You can add tuna in oil.
You can also add other vegetables to the Russian salad, such as green beans or onions, as long as they remain crunchy and not too watery.
You can also add a teaspoon of mustard to the mayonnaise for an extra touch of flavor.
