Russian salad is a traditional side dish that is usually served on New Year's Eve. Although it is called this way abroad, in Russia the dish is widespread under the name Salad Olivier. Vegetarian, fruit-based or traditional, find out how to prepare the perfect salad for your tastes.
Ingrediants
Traditional Russian salad
- 3 medium potatoes
- 4 medium carrots
- 8 eggs
- 500 g of mortadella
- 8 pickled gherkins
- 1-2 cucumbers
- 1 box of 400 g of peas
- 1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise
- 1 small onion
Russian salad with fruit
- 1 whole cabbage
- 1 cup of boiled peas
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 2 sliced cucumbers
- 3 carrots
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 apples
- ½ cup of raisins
- 1 can of diced pineapple
- 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon of white pepper powder
- ½ tablespoon of sugar
Vegetarian Russian salad
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 potato
- ½ cup of peas
- 40 g of green beans
- 180 ml of mayonnaise
- Sliced lettuce, cucumber and tomato leaves for garnish
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Making Traditional Russian Salad
Step 1. Place the potatoes and carrots in a medium saucepan and fill it with water
Adjust the flame to maximum. Let them boil until they are softened; it should take about 20-30 minutes.
- Check them regularly, as they don't need to be overcooked.
- Do not peel them before cooking. By leaving the peel, you will be able to take in more vitamins.
- Set them aside to cool.
Step 2. Place the eggs in a large pot in a single layer and fill it with water
Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Now turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the boiling stove. Cover it and let it rest for 10-12 minutes.
To make eggs easier to peel when cooked, you should buy them 1-2 weeks in advance. In fact, it is easier to remove the shell from the less fresh eggs
Step 3. Open the can of peas and pour them into a colander to drain
To remove excess salt, run tap water over the legumes.
Canned peas can be replaced with frozen ones, the important thing is to thaw them before preparation
Step 4. Cool the eggs, remove the shell
If you don't like the taste of the peel, you can peel potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers as well, but that's not necessary.
Leaving the peel, the salad will be rich in minerals and vitamins
Step 5. Cool the potatoes and carrots, cut them into approximately 6 mm cubes
Repeat with the cucumbers, gherkins, mortadella and eggs. Chop the onion into even smaller pieces.
- Make sure you buy some mortadella cut into double slices, otherwise buy a large piece. This will make it easier to cut it into cubes.
- You can also use chicken or cooked ham in this recipe. Replace the mortadella with 250g of boiled chicken or 500g of cooked ham.
- The cubes don't have to be perfect, the important thing is that they are small and easy to eat.
- Onion is optional. If you don't like the fresh one, you can omit it. If you don't like the taste of regular onion, you can replace it with chives or scallions.
Step 6. Complete the preparation
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl with the mayonnaise. Stir until completely covered with sauce. Put the salad in the fridge for a few hours.
As recommended with potato salad, this dish should be prepared in advance. Once prepared, it can be kept in the fridge for a few days
Method 2 of 3: Make the Russian Salad with Fruit
Step 1. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan
Fill it with water and let it boil over high heat for 20-30 minutes or until softened. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
Leaving the peel will allow you to take in more nutrients
Step 2. Place the peas in a small saucepan and boil them over high heat for 10-15 minutes or until softened
Drain them and let them cool.
You can use canned or frozen peas. In the latter case, they must be cooked a little longer to soften
Step 3. Julienne the cabbage and cucumber
As for the cabbage, chop it up, then cut it into long, thin strips. As for the cucumber, remove the ends on both sides, then cut it into sections of about 5 cm. At this point, cut it into thin sticks. Place the strips in a large bowl.
- If the cabbage strips are too long, cut them in half. They must be easy to eat.
- The cucumber can be peeled. However, although it is tough, remember that the peel contains several nutrients.
Step 4. Dice the potatoes, apples, carrots and pineapple
Make sure you remove the seeds from the apples. Place the cubes in the same bowl as the cabbage and cucumbers, then mix them.
- If the pineapple pieces are already small enough for your taste, you don't have to cut them.
- Apples and carrots can be peeled, but remember that the peel contains many vitamins and minerals.
Step 5. Add the other ingredients, namely white pepper powder, sugar, salt, sour cream and mayonnaise
Mix well, making sure to coat them evenly. When finished, garnish with raisins.
Keep the salad in the fridge for a few hours or until it has cooled well
Method 3 of 3: Making the Vegetarian Russian Salad
Step 1. Place the carrot, potato, peas, and green beans in a medium-sized pot
Fill it with water, turn the heat up to high and let it boil for about 20-30 minutes. The ingredients should cook well and soften. Set them aside to cool.
You can also microwave them using a suitable bowl
Step 2. Once the vegetables have cooled, cut them into bite-sized pieces
Chop up the celery as well. Put all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Step 3. Add the mayonnaise and mix again, evenly coating all ingredients
Garnish with cucumber or tomato slices, or with lettuce leaves.
