Russian Salad is known by several names such as “Ensalada Rusa” or “Olivier Salad” or “Salad Olivieh”. This is a simple salad invented in the 18th century by Lucien Olivier and widely recreated throughout Eastern Europe. Over the course of the centuries, different regions of Eastern Europe have developed their own variations of this salad but few core ingredients are common to them all: potatoes, eggs, carrots, pickles, onions, peas, and a mayonnaise-based dressing.

Like this Polish Potato Salad with Pickles and Eggs, the Russian Potato Salad is super popular! Be sure to see the step-by-step tutorial below.

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Origin of the Russian Salad

Russian Salad (Ensalada Rusa) was originally invented by Lucien Olivier for a Moscow restaurant called Hermitage in 1860s. It became very popular in Russia and can now be found in any restaurant across the country. It’s traditionally served on any Holiday, gatherings, birthday parties etc… The local variations can be found in almost any Eastern European Country from Ukraine, Bulgaria to Poland and Hungary.

In Poland, this salad is called “Salatka Jarzynowa”(which translates to a vegetable salad). I learned how to make it in Elementary School. Once a month we would have a class where we needed to bring all the ingredients necessary to make a salad (already cooked) and then we’d chop it up and assemble it. We would bring knives to school to chop the ingredients. Nowadays this sounds crazy, but I guess this was a different era.

My point is ….I’ve been making this salad my entire life. In fact, this Russian salad was the first thing I ever learned how to make.

It is believed that the original Russian Potato Salad contained cubed meat (like ham) and was a complete meal. I’ve personally never had one with meat and I prefer it that way. However, feel free to add it to your ingredients list if you’re so inclined.

What Ingredients Are Needed to Make Russian Potato Salad

The list of Ingredients for this Russian Olivier Salad is very short and you may have already everything needed in your pantry:

Potatoes;
Carrots;
Eggs;
Peas;
Pickles;
Onions;
Ham (optional)

How to Make Russian Olivier (Olivieh) Salad

The preparation of the Russian Salad is very simple, however, it will require a few steps and some extra time, because vegetables and eggs need to be cooked and cooled off before the chopping.

Step 1: Place eggs in a pot of cold water. Bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and let them fully cool off before peeling.

Step 2: Place whole, unpeeled potatoes, and carrots in a pot of water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to boil. Cook until vegetables are fork tender for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from water and let cool off fully before peeling.

Step 3: Peel and chop the pickles (peeling is optional; I feel like they taste better in this salad without tough skin).

Step 4: Chop the onions.

Step 5: Strain and rinse canned peas.

Step 6: Peel and chop into cubes eggs, potatoes, and carrots (if using, cube your ham too).

Step 7: Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix all together.

Step 8: In a small bowl combine mayonnaise with mustard and pepper. Add it into the salad ingredients and mix all together.

An important tip when making Russian Salad: Do not add salt to your mayonnaise mixture. Mayonnaise, as well as Dijon mustard, have a lot of salt in it. Dress your salad first, taste it and then add salt if needed. Remember, you can ALWAYS add salt but you cannot take it away!

What are the Possible Variations of the Russian Potato Salad

As mentioned above this popular Olivier Salad became a staple across Eastern Europe. In Ukraine and Bulgaria, you would almost always find some kind of meat in this salad (e.g. ham or bologna).

In Poland on the other hand, no one adds meat to “Salatka Jarzynowa”, but you could find that people add other root vegetables like parsnip or celery root or occasionally a chopped apple. I personally do not care for a taste of cooked parsnip or celery root so they were never part of my Olivier Salad and I also don’t like the fact that an apple can oxidize and get brown and the salad does not look that appetizing anymore.

However, I often add sweet, canned corn to my Olivier Salad. I just love how it tastes and it compliments this salad beautifully.

But you can experiment and add some other ingredients to your liking. In fact, if you share the tradition of making this amazing Russian salad, then let me know your thought on this variation. Enjoy!

Equipment Needed to Make Ensalada Rusa

Large pot for boiling vegetables and medium pot for boiling eggs;
Cutting Board; to chop vegetables and eggs on;
Set of Knives; to chop vegetables and eggs with;
Colander to strain and rinse peas;
Large Glass Bowl to mix all Russian salad ingredients together;
Small mixing bowl to mix dressing for Russian Salad;
Large mixing spoon to combine all together.

Other popular Eastern European Dishes to Try: