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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Russian Salad

    Published: Feb 10, 2022 · Modified: Feb 10, 2022 by Daniela Apostol · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

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    Russian Salad or Olivier Salad, a traditional salad in Russia and many other European countries. It's a favourite dish in Romania too, especially during the main holidays throughout the year. The salad is usually made with boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, meat (can be either beef or chicken), pickled cucumbers (gherkins) and red peppers, all dressed in plenty of mayo.

    A white plate with salad and another plate in the background

    This Russian potato salad is a very popular dish in all post-soviet countries, being a favourite on the table for the New Year, Easter or Christmas. We call it "salata de boeuf", or Boeuf Salad, translated beef salad, as it usually contains beef, but we often swap it for chicken or omit it altogether. "Boeuf" is actually a French word, but we hardly ever used it though.

    TIPS AND TRICKS

    It is quite difficult to give a recipe, as we don't really use precise quantities, but rather go by taste, if it tastes good, then it is ready. So the secret here is balance, we need equal amount of boiled vegetables to go with equal amount of pickled vegetables. Not enough pickles, and the salad will be plain and boring, but too many, and it will be too sour.

    And then all vegetables have to be chopped in small cubes, which can be a bit time consuming, depending on how much salad you make. But trust me, it's so worth all the chopping and decorating, I cannot tell how tasty all this is. It's safe to say we have made it into one of our traditional dishes that we absolutely adore as a nation.

    Overhead shoot of 2 plates, one large and one small with Russian salad

    This salad can be enjoyed as a side dish, or even on its own, as it is very filling. Because quite a lot of mayonnaise is added, the sharp taste of lemon and will restore the balance, so not to be omitted. Also, very important to add mustard too. Mum never buys ready-made mayonnaise, but makes it herself using boiled egg yolks, raw egg yolks, salt and vegetable oil.

    Now, I like cooking and stuff, but I can't be bothered with homemade mayo, hence why I go for the store-bought version. Which is safer, since it's pasteurized, raw eggs should be avoided if they do not come from a reliable source.

    HOW TO MAKE RUSSIAN SALAD

    The potatoes and carrots need to be boiled, ideally in their skin, rather than peeled and chopped, then boiled. They keep their shape a lot better if they are boiled in their skin, and are less watery.

    • boil the potatoes and carrots, leave to cool, then chop
    • chop the gherkins and red peppers, and use your hands to squeeze as much liquid as possible - otherwise the salad will be watery after a while
    • add the cooked peas and chicken, mix with the mayo, lemon juice, salt and yellow mustard, and arrange on a plate
    • decorate with more mayo
    • keep refrigerated - the salad tastes a lot better cold from the fridge
    Collage of 9 photos to show how to make Russian Salad

    A FANTASTIC ALTERNATIVE TO THE CLASSIC POTATO SALAD

    This Russian Potato Salad is the best alternative you can get to the more common potato salad, which is usually made with mayo too. The pickles make all the difference though, and work incredibly well with the boiled vegetables. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't find plain boiled potatoes and carrots that appetizing.

    But mix them with pickles, drench them in mayo, add a bit of magic, aka lemon juice, salt and mustard, and you get perfection. You can use any other mustard, but I find that the yellow one has the right amount of sharpness, without stealing the show.

    It's best to consume the salad within two days, especially if you use homemade mayo. Even with the pasteurised mayo, it should be refrigerated at all times!

    Overhead shoot of a white plate with potato and mayosalad

    If you’ve liked my RUSSIAN SALAD or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

    4.34 from 3 votes
    Print
    Russian Salad
    Prep Time
    20 mins
    Cook Time
    50 mins
    Total Time
    1 hr 10 mins
     

    Russian Salad or Olivier Salad, a traditional salad in Russia and many other European countries. It's a favourite dish in Romania too, especially during the main holidays throughout the year. The salad is usually made with boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, meat (can be either beef or chicken), pickled cucumbers (gherkins) and red peppers, all dressed in plenty of mayo.

    Course: Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Russian
    Keyword: party food ideas
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 351 kcal
    Author: Daniela Apostol
    Ingredients
    • 6 medium potatoes
    • 4 carrots
    • 1 jar of pickled cucumbers or gherkins (400 g, 13 oz)
    • 1 small jar of pickled red peppers (200 g, 7 oz)
    • 1 cup cooked peas
    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    • juice of 1 lemon
    • salt to taste
    • 1 cup cooked chicken breast
    Metric - US Customary
    Instructions
    1. In a big pan, boil the potatoes and carrots in their skin until tender. Allow them to cool, peel and cut them into cubes.

    2. Separately, chop the pickles, squeeze the excess water and mix them with the potatoes, carrots, peas and chicken.

    3. Add 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix all the ingredients together.

    4. Season with salt to taste, add the juice of one lemon and the mustard. Again, feel free to add more or less lemon juice and mustard, depending on how you like it. Different people have different taste.

    5. Garnish with the remaining mayonnaise and feel free to decorate with strips of pickles, boiled egg whites, olives, parsley and anything you may like.
    6. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.
    Nutrition Facts
    Russian Salad
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 351 Calories from Fat 261
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 29g45%
    Saturated Fat 5g25%
    Trans Fat 1g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 17g
    Monounsaturated Fat 7g
    Cholesterol 36mg12%
    Sodium 408mg17%
    Potassium 329mg9%
    Carbohydrates 11g4%
    Fiber 4g16%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 11g22%
    Vitamin A 6847IU137%
    Vitamin C 3mg4%
    Calcium 30mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tasty Eats Ronit Penso

      December 27, 2015 at 9:59 pm

      Such a pretty presentation for one of my favorites salads!
      I also like to add lots of chopped dill to it. 🙂

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        December 28, 2015 at 3:37 am

        I am glad you like it! I never used dill, but l love the ideas and will try next time ?

        Reply
    2. youthfoodblog

      December 28, 2015 at 12:16 am

      Gorgeous salad! Looks very tasty and colorful!

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        December 28, 2015 at 3:38 am

        Thank you ?

        Reply
    3. Lynz Real Cooking

      December 30, 2015 at 12:55 am

      Looks very beautiful!

      Reply
    4. milliethom

      January 04, 2016 at 7:25 pm

      What a fabulous dish, Daniela. It looks wonderful and I can imagine how great it tastes.

      Reply
      • Daniela Apostol

        January 08, 2016 at 12:04 am

        It's a family favourite ? Thank you for your lovely comments!

        Reply
    5. Angie

      December 31, 2017 at 12:39 pm

      Sorry it has been so long since I have stopped by. I keep an eye on your recipes, and they are all amazing. This one is no exception. So yummy!

      Reply
      • Daniela Anderson

        December 31, 2017 at 4:07 pm

        Thank you so much, have a great 2018! xxx

        Reply

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