Vegetarian Olivier salad is a classic of Russian cuisine, a filling salad of veggies, eggs and a fresh, bright dressing. The ultimate Russian potato salad.
The twinkling light of candles. Your grandmother's laughter. The clinking sound made by two glasses of champagne, meeting. Your sister's sigh of exasperation. The scrape of a fork over a porcelain plate. Your mother's gentle reproach. Juice pouring from a carafe, ice and liquid mingling into one rhapsody. Your father's loud, booming voice, halfway through a joke.
Just like no Russian New Year's dinner would be complete without these, so it wouldn't be complete without Olivier salad (also known as Salada Russa). And today, I'd like to share with you my vegetarian Olivier salad, a version of this classic that won't have you missing the cow's tongue and crayfish tails of the original.
I never really knew the provenance of Olivier salad. I have heard stories that it came from the estate of a Russian nobleman, whose French chef constantly regaled him with fantastical French dishes. When one salad became so well-liked it turned into a regular feature, the nobleman name it after the chef - Olivier salad. However, any relation between the dish and classical French cuisine remained completely accidental.
Wikipedia tells me the true story was quite a bit different. Olivier salad was born out of the hands of a Belgian chef, Lucien Olivier, who worked at the fabled Hermitage restaurant in Moscow. Though the original recipe was a closely guarded secret, one of Olivier's entrepreneurial sous chefs once spied the mise-en-place needed for its preparation; that sous chef later left Hermitage and went to work for another Moscow restaurant, where he began to serve a salad of a dubiously similar make-up. The rest is history.
Today, no one serves Olivier salad the same way it was intended. The seven or so meats of the original have been replaced by ham, and maybe chicken. The fabled dressing gave way to store-bought mayonnaise. And the recipe is far from being a guarded secret anymore - in fact, it's one of the first dishes I learned to make as a child!
My vegetarian Olivier salad is both an ode to the original, and an update for those who abscond meat. Instead of plain mayo, the dressing utilizes white wine vinegar and grainy French mustard. We set aside the ham and chicken and calf's liver, but keep the hard-boiled egg that give the salad its protein. And for pickles, I use my homemade spicy garlic pickles, though you can use your favourite store-bought brand.
The resulting vegetarian Olivier salad is a filling, hefty meal that will satisfy any Russian household. And if you were lucky enough to be invited to a Russian Old New Year's celebration this Thursday, I urge you to bring it with you - it will fit right in!
If you are looking for more Russian recipe inspiration, then you're in luck! I will be taking over the Huffington Post Canada Living Instagram account next week, and showcasing some of my favourite Russian and Israeli recipes! Please follow my #huffposttakeover exploits over on the HuffPost Canada Living Instagram, January 18 to 22!
Vegetarian Olivier salad (Salada Russa)
Ingredients
- Two potatoes washed and cleaned
- Two carrots washed and cleaned
- three eggs
- Two large pickles chopped finely
- One small onion chopped finely
- 1 cup of frozen peas defrosted
- 2 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- 2 teaspoons French white wine vinegar
- Two cloves of garlic
Instructions
- In a large pot, place carrots and potatoes with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, and cook potatoes and carrots until easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. Cook three hard boiled eggs.
- Peel potatoes, carrots and eggs (I use the back of a sharp paring knife to peel the potatoes and carrots). Chop finely. Combine in a large bowl with onions, pickles, peas and dressing ingredients. Mix until well combined – eggs will break a little, and that's OK – they will help flavour the sauce. Taste and correct seasonings. Let sit In the fridge for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight. Serve with a little bit of fresh dill on the side.
Lily @GastroSenses says
I could totally eat this every.single.day! There’s something about a big and frequent bowl of Olivye that’s SO comforting!
kseniaprints says
I know exactly what you mean. My boyfriend, who has not tasted Olivier until we started dating, at first eyed it suspiciously... But since he had his first taste, he keeps asking me to make big vats of it for the week! I feel like a Russian grandmother.
Simi Jois says
When I read your blog and look at the pictures, I feel I am sitting at a dear friend's kitchen and enjoying a meal. So comforting.
kseniaprints says
Simi, you have no idea how much that means coming from you! I admire your photography so much, this is really a boost to my ego 😉
Elena says
Agree with Simi Jois! Olivier reminds me of the family New Year's dinner this year and in my mind it's paired with champagne and clementines. And sparklers! 🙂
kseniaprints says
You guys have clementines for New Year's? I never knew that was a thing until I started doing Christmas with my boyfriend's family, and his mom is British... And she explained to me that they would always get an orange in their stockings because they were so rare in the midst of winter! Coming from Israel, I guess I've been a bit spoiled - we're inundated with citrus in winter, and nothing feels more ordinary in December than eating bowlfuls of citrus.
Faith (An Edible Mosaic) says
This is such a lovely recipe, probably my very favorite type of potato salad...the addition of pickles wins my heart. Beautiful post too, and gorgeous photos! I felt like I was there with you experiencing this dish and your dinner party. And how funny, my mom used to have those same brown-rimmed, specked white plates! They remind me of my childhood. <3
kseniaprints says
Ha! I love those plates. I had a bunch in Winnipeg that I picked up from a vintage shop, but I left them behind with a friend... I now came across a few new ones in a shop. So happy with them!
As for this salad... It truly brings back so memories. The pickles are unforgettable and shouldn't be missed. So glad you like it!
Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist says
I've never heard of Olivier salad, but reading the description I know that I would like your version better. I love how this salad looks and all of the flavors you used. I also loved your opening paragraphs. Your writing is always so evocative <3
kseniaprints says
Kathryn, for some reason I identify with you so much I always forget you're not Russian! So i was really confused when you said you've never heard of Olivier salad. Ha! I do hope you'll give it a try - I'm making another batch as I'm writing this.
Berta says
Oh how much I love your photos!! It always makes me so happy to see Russian and other Eastern European foods beautifully presented, because they often seem to be overlooked 😉
I'm so excited to see how you take over The Huffington Post account!! May I ask how you received this opportunity? 🙂
kseniaprints says
Berta, I know exactly what you mean! I have a few other Russian bloggers I follow for how well they present our food. It's so heart warming to see my favourite dishes beautifully packaged for the world to see!
As for Hunffington Post, they just approached me... I'm honestly not sure! It's definitely from Instagram though.