Оливье — Russian Olivier Salad

Russian Non Fasting Published April 21, 2026

Non-Fasting Recipe: This dish contains meat, dairy, or eggs and is intended for feast days and non-fasting periods.

Invented in the 1860s by a Belgian chef in Moscow, Olivier salad (known abroad as "Russian salad") is
inseparable from Russian celebration. Diced boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs, peas, pickles, and chicken
or bologna, bound with mayonnaise. Simple components, enormously comforting, and found on every festive
Russian table from Paschal dinner to New Year's Eve.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (chicken, eggs, mayonnaise)

SERVINGS: 8
TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 4 medium potatoes
- 3 large carrots
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 400 g cooked chicken breast (poached), or Russian bologna-style sausage (докторская колбаса)
- 4 brined pickles (not vinegar), diced
- 1 can (400 g) green peas, drained
- 1 small red onion, very finely diced
- 300 g mayonnaise (plus more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh dill, chopped, for serving

METHOD:
1. Boil potatoes and carrots in their skins in salted water. Start checking at 20 minutes; they should be fully tender but not falling apart. Cool completely, then peel.
2. If using raw chicken: poach in lightly salted water with a bay leaf for 20 minutes, cool, and dice. If using sausage, simply dice.
3. Peel hard-boiled eggs.
4. Dice potatoes, carrots, eggs, and chicken/sausage into uniform small cubes (5-7 mm). Uniformity is the mark of a well-made Olivier.
5. Combine all diced ingredients with diced pickles, green peas, and red onion in a large bowl.
6. Mix mayonnaise with mustard. Add to the salad gradually — you want everything coated but not drowning. Taste: add more mayonnaise if dry, salt and pepper as needed.
7. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Stir gently and top with fresh dill just before bringing to the table.

NOTES:
- The cubes should be small and even. Rushing the dice is the most common mistake.
- Russians are particular about their Olivier. Some families insist on boiled beef, others on bologna. Pick one and commit.
- Add the mayonnaise just before serving for best texture — but the salad needs to rest with all other ingredients mixed first.
- This is not a salad to make ahead by more than a day. It tastes best made the same morning.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 380 | Protein: 18 g | Carbohydrates: 22 g | Fat: 25 g | Fibre: 4 g