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    Cooking Gorgeous » All Recipes » Salads

    Russian Salad (Olivier Salad)

    Published: Jul 27, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Russian Salad (also known as Olivier Salad, Salad Olivieh, or Rus Salatasi) is a simple, colorful, and delicious side dish originating from Russia. This fresh and creamy Russian potato salad is perfect for holiday celebrations such as Easter, Christmas or New Year's Eve. It is also great to serve at BBQ parties, as a side dish to Air Fryer Sausage, or as a filling for delicious Turkish street food Kumpir - Turkish Baked Potato.

    Russian Salad or Salad Olivier is served in a bowl and garnished with dill
    Jump to:
    • What is Russian Salad Olivier?
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • How to Make Russian Olivier Salad?
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Top Tips From The Chef
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Relate Recipes
    • Russian Salad (Olivier Salad)

    In Turkey, the Russian Salad is known as "Rus salatası" or "American salad" and is usually served as part of a meze platter along with Cerkez Tavugu- Circassian Chicken, Mucver - Crispy Zucchini Fritters, and Tirokafteri (Spicy Whipped Feat Dip).

    This colorful and creamy potato salad is also commonly used as a filling for sandwiches and Kumpir (Turkish-style jacket potato). The Turkish version consists of diced and boiled carrots and potatoes, diced cucumber pickles, boiled peas, and mayonnaise.

    kumpir topped with various fillings
    A classic street food "Kumpir" is topped with Salad Olivier

    What is Russian Salad Olivier?

    Russian Salad - Salad Olivier is a popular side dish traditionally served during festive holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and New Year's Eve celebrations. Some versions of this famous salad contain cubed ham or chicken and boiled eggs but I prefer it without them.

    The original version of this Olivier Potato Salad was invented by a Russian chef of Belgian and French descent called "Lucien Olivier" back in the 1860s. He was an extremely celebrated head chef at the Hermitage, one of the most famous restaurants in Moscow’s history. Olivier's salad quickly became widely popular with Hermitage regulars and became the restaurant's signature dish.

    Same as Russian Honey Cake - Medovik, this famous Russian Salad was and maybe still is the most traditional dish for the home New Year celebration for Russian and former Soviet Union people.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • Russian Olivier Salad is perfect for family gatherings, special celebrations as well as BBQs and picnics.
    • You can prepare the vegetables a couple of days in advance and mix them all up before serving.
    • The leftovers of this Russian potato salad would keep for up to 3 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
    • This creamy, fresh, and light salad is the perfect alternative to standard potato salad.
    • You can easily transform this vegetarian salad into vegan-friendly by using vegan mayonnaise for the dressing.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Labelled picture of ingredients for Russian Salad
    • Potatoes - You can use any type of potatoes you would use for your regular Potato Salad recipes. Some recipes recall boiling the whole potato and dicing it after being cooked. I prefer dicing them before cooking, saves me time and they keep their shape better.
    • Carrots
    • Cornichons
    • Peas - I prefer frozen peas but you can use fresh peas (cooked until soft) or canned peas.
    • Sweetcorn - Optional, I like the texture, color, and sweetness they add to this colorful salad.
    • Fresh herbs - Dill and flat-leaf parsley are my favorite herbs for this Russian salad.
    • Mayonnaise - Homemade mayonnaise provides the best flavor. However, you can use a good quality mayonnaise for the dressing with an addition of a teaspoon of mustard!

    How to Make Russian Olivier Salad?

    This recipe is very easy to make with a few ingredients you might already have in hand. However, you need to follow a few simple steps - tips to achieve the best results.

    Prepare The Vegetables

    Peel and dice the carrots, place them in a saucepan filled with cold water and bring it to a boil on medium heat.

    peeled and diced carrots are in a pan filled with cold water

    Let the carrots cook for 10 minutes while preparing the potatoes. Peel and dice the potatoes and then add them to the pan with half-cooked carrots. 

    peeled and diced potatoes in a bowl

    Cook the potatoes and carrots together for another 10 minutes while preparing/chopping the rest of the ingredients. 

    diced potatoes are added to the pan

    Chop the cornichons into small cubes and finely chop the herbs while the potatoes and carrots are cooking, set them aside. 

    diced cornichons in a bowl

    When the potatoes and carrots are almost cooked, add the frozen peas and sweetcorn to the pan, and cook them together for a few more minutes. You can check the doneness of the vegetables with a small knife.

    frozen peas and sweetcorn are added to the pan with boiling water

    Drain the vegetables, place them on a colander, and let them cool down before building your salad. 

    cooked vegetables are placed on a colander

    Combine and Serve

    When the vegetables are cooled down, place them in a large bowl and then add mayonnaise, salt, paprika, and black pepper along with the chopped dill and parsley.

    cooked vegetables and chopped herbs and mayonnaise in a bowl

    Give it a good stir and transfer it to a serving plate. Refrigerate your salad for at least half an hour before garnishing with some fresh herbs and serving.

    Russian Salad Olivier in a blue bowl

    Serving Suggestions

    Russian Salad (Salad Olivier) is perfect on its own with a nice piece of Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread). Alternatively, you can serve it as a side dish to Air Fryer Sausage, Lahana Sarmasi - Turkish Cabbage Rolls, Shish Tawook (Turkish Chicken Kebab), Oven Roasted Turkey with Gravy, or Baked Turkish Meatballs.

    Top Tips From The Chef

    • If you have the time, cook the vegetables a couple of hours or a day ahead to give them enough time to cool to room temperature.
    • Add some mustard to your Russian potato salad if using store-bought mayonnaise instead of homemade!
    • Decorate your salad with hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and/or slices of cooked beetroot for an impressive presentation for your special gatherings.
    • This recipe yields 6 portions as a side dish. You can half the recipe as well as double or triple it by using the buttons on the recipe card.

    Recipe FAQs

    How to store the leftovers?

    The leftovers of Russian Salad would keep for up to three days when refrigerated in an airtight container. This can go up to five days if you use store-bought mayonnaise!
    I don't recommend freezing this salad.

    What are the traditional/ typical ingredients for Russian Salad?

    Traditionally, Russian Salad is made with potatoes, carrots, cornichons, canned peas, celeriac, onions, apples, boiled eggs, mayonnaise, ham or chicken, dill, mustard, salt, and pepper. You can add any of these vegetables/ ingredients to your salad and adjust the amounts to your taste.

    Can it be done ahead?

    Yes, you can prepare your vegetable up to three days ahead. When ready to serve, mix the vegetables with freshly cut herbs and mayonnaise last minute.

    Relate Recipes

    For more colorful and delicious salad recipes why not try:

    • Lebanese Fattoush Salad
    • Orzo Pasta Salad
    • Gavurdagi Salatasi (Tomato and Walnut Salad)
    • Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad)

    Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this colorful and creamy Russian Potato Salad as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

    Russian Salad in a bowl with fresh dill leaves

    Russian Salad (Olivier Salad)

    Ayla Clulee
    Russian Salad (also known as Olivier Salad, Salad Olivieh, or Rus Salatasi) is a simple, colorful, and delicious salad dish originating from Russia. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Salad, Side Dish
    Cuisine Eastern European, Russian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 310 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 Sharp knife
    • 1 measuring spoons
    • 1 peeler
    • 1 Saucepan

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 300 g potatoes (cut in small cubes)
    • 200 g carrots (cut in small cubes)
    • 100 g frozen or fresh peas
    • 100 g sweetcorn (optional)
    • 50 g cornichons (cut in small cubes)
    • 2 tablespoon fresh dill (finely chopped)
    • 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • 200 g mayonnaise
    • 1 teaspoon mustard (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Peel and dice the carrots, place them in a saucepan filled with cold water and bring it to a boil on medium heat.
    • Let the carrots cook for 10 minutes while preparing the potatoes.
    • Peel and dice the potatoes and then add them to the pan with half-cooked carrots.
    • Cook the potatoes and carrots together for another 10 minutes while preparing/chopping the rest of the ingredients.
    • Chop the cornichons into small cubes and finely chop the herbs while the potatoes and carrots are cooking, set them aside.
    • When the potatoes and carrots are almost cooked, add the frozen peas and sweetcorn to the pan, and cook them together for a few more minutes. You can check the doneness of the vegetables with a small knife.
    • Drain the vegetables, place them on a colander, and let them cool down before building your salad.
    • When the vegetables are cooled down, place them in a large bowl and then add mayonnaise, salt, paprika, and black pepper along with the chopped dill and parsley.
    • Give it a good stir and transfer it to a serving plate.
    • Refrigerate your salad for at least half an hour before garnishing with some fresh herbs and serving.

    Notes

    • If you have the time, cook the vegetables a couple of hours or a day ahead to give them enough time to cool to room temperature.
    • Add some mustard to your Russian potato salad if using store-bought mayonnaise instead of homemade!
    • You can check the doneness of the vegetables with a small knife.
    • Refrigerate your salad for at least half an hour before garnishing with some fresh herbs and serving.
    • This recipe yields 6 portions as a side dish. You can half the recipe as well as double or triple it by using the buttons on the recipe card.
    • The leftovers of Russian Salad would keep for up to three days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
    • Decorate your salad with hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and/or slices of cooked beetroot for an impressive presentation for your special gatherings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 310kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 534mgPotassium: 409mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5852IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Vilma

      September 10, 2022 at 5:02 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe! So easy and so tasty. Will be making this again and again!

      Reply
    2. Zara

      December 11, 2022 at 4:25 am

      5 stars
      I loved all the different color and flavor combination in this salad!

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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