The Russian Olivier Salad

[Sagittarius]

THE RUSSIAN OLIVIER SALAD ..

Russian Chef Viacheslav Gonchar, in Barcelona, had given me this recipe this past Friday, which was originally created in Russia, by French Belgian Chef Luicen Olivier in the 1860s.

"There are uncountable versions of this festive Russian Salad, and the Olivier Salad, as there are Chefs" ..

It is very similar to the Russian Salad however, the key ingredients are Smoked Salmon and Caviar and it was served in The Russian Restaurant in Moscow called THE HERMITAGE ..

CHEF GONCHAR´s RECIPE ..

200 grams of Smoked Salmon
Caviar or Salmon Roe
2 Potatoes Boiled and Peeled and then when slightly cool, diced.
1 carrot peeled and diced
100 grams of sweet peas ( can use fresh without pods, canned or frozen)
1 Cucumber peeled and diced
3 Hard boiled eggs ( separate the white from the yolk which shall be sprinkled in the salad and also used as garnish )
1 Carrot for ribbons for the garnish
1 green scallion or shallot peeled and minced

1) Peel are vegetables.
2) Prepare salted water in several sauce pans / and boil the potatoes, carrots, sweet peas and the eggs.
3) In a crystal bowl, place the diced vegetables, the green scallion or shallot and the diced cucumber.
4) salt and pepper to taste ..
5) Slice the smoked salmon into small ribbons and place in the bowl.
6) Place the home made mayonnaise in the bowl and combine the ingredients in a clockwise motion with a wooden spatula ..
7) Check salt and pepper ..
8) Splash a bit of white wine vinegar of cider vinegar into the bowl.

THE CAVIAR OR ROE: This shall be used on top of the Salad along with sprinkled hard boiled egg yolks, and if you wish green olives with sweet red bell filling. One can also sprinkle a bit of minced fresh parsley if they so desire.

THE MAYONNAISE:

300 ml. Evoo and 1 egg ..

This should be prepared in a metal bowl with a large metal whisk.

Whisk until the Evoo and the egg form a thick white type Mayonnaise concoction ..

Have a lovely day ..

 

[Sagittarius]

CORRECTION: Typing error:

INSTRUCTION NUMBER 1 ) IS PEEL ALL ( NOT PEEL ARE ! ) ..

Sorry about that ..

ALSO NOTE: I only use the EGG YOLK for the Mayonnaise ..

 

[CharlieD]

We alread decided that each chef has his/hers own version of this salad. though I have never heard this one, unless he is like me and keeping kosher and is serving this salad as an appetiser with fish course. You see, if you keep kosher you cannot serve fish and meat at the same time.

This is my recipe:

equal amounts of potato, carrots, green peas, hard boiled eggs. For fish course imitation crab or shrimp, the real crab and shrimp are not kosher. For meat coarse, diced boiled chicken or turkey meat, cut up bologna. Never seen seen people adding salami or beef.
For those who do not keep kosher people mix meat and seafood products.

Additionally some people add cucumbers and/or onion. And then there are even those that add pickles. But in my book that is just beyond disgusting, even though I love pickles and cucumbers . Some things just do not match.

Now I'm going to try to add pictures here. See what happens. Usually I have problem with that.

 

[CharlieD]

 

[CharlieD]

P.S. I forgot mayo and salt. Both to taste. MAyo kind of binds the whole thing together. But some people like mayo, so add more.

 

[Sagittarius]

Charlie D.

We alread decided that each chef has his/hers own version of this salad. though I have never heard this one, unless he is like me and keeping kosher and is serving this salad as an appetiser with fish course. You see, if you keep kosher you cannot serve fish and meat at the same time.

This is my recipe:

equal amounts of potato, carrots, green peas, hard boiled eggs. For fish course imitation crab or shrimp, the real crab and shrimp are not kosher. For meat coarse, diced boiled chicken or turkey meat, cut up bologna. Never seen seen people adding salami or beef.
For those who do not keep kosher people mix meat and seafood products.

Additionally some people add cucumbers and/or onion. And then there are even those that add pickles. But in my book that is just beyond disgusting, even though I love pickles and cucumbers . Some things just do not match.

Now I'm going to try to add pictures here. See what happens. Usually I have problem with that.

Charlie D,

Thank you so much for your récipes & the wonderful photographs. Absolutely amazing. I notice, you use a medal bowl too ..

Definitely shall try your Olivier Salads .. I love seafood salads so I shall do this one first and post it ..

As you are aware, the salad is so so versatile .. And there are over a million récipes for it .. I must say, it was amazingly exquisite with the smoked salmon.



Appreciate this.

Have a marvelous day..

All my best regards.

 

[CharlieD]

.... I notice, you use a metal bowl too ..

All my best regards.

Actually I would not use metal bowl if I was at home, but since I was volunteering at synagogue and preparing food for 50 people I used what they had. Whenever I use mayo i prefer utencils that would not oxidize. At home it would be a glass or some other non reactive dish. On the other hand it went so faast that it probably did not matter.

 

[Sagittarius]

Charlie D.

Actually I would not use metal bowl if I was at home, but since I was volunteering at synagogue and preparing food for 50 people I used what they had. Whenever I use mayo i prefer utencils that would not oxidize. At home it would be a glass or some other non reactive dish. On the other hand it went so faast that it probably did not matter.

Charlie D.

Glass is a better option surely.

It looks wonderful. I am going to make your recipe.

I can just imagine 50 people "Chowing Down On" Russian Salad !!!

Thanks so much .. Have a nice evening.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

Dx made a salad Olivier for a party last weekend. She has used a recipe since the 1970's copied from a Time-Life series of international cookbooks, this one from a Russian one. I've always thought the recipe is pretty mild.

The recipe called for 2 chicken breast halves + 4 small new potatoes. After the breasts were boned, they look pretty large. We set the 4 red skin golf ball size potatoes next to them and we both thought hmmm, these proportions do not appear quite right. Well, breasts are bigger these days. (!) These were farm raised organic too. Ok, 8 potatoes looked about right. Increased the boiled eggs accordingly too. Slice the eggs and taters. Add capers and diced dill pickles. That's all the ingredients in the recipe. Make a sour cream/ mayo dressing and that's about it. Dx usually makes a swell homemade mayo. She used jarred mayo. The serving bowl was nestled in another bowl of ice so it could sit outside for awhile in the afternoon as well as refilled. She garnished the salad with quartered compari tomatoes, (not in the recipe,) also about gold ball size, a scattering of more capers and a small heap of diced pickle in the center. She made 8 lbs chicken, plus the other ingredients proportionately, pretty easy salad. She simmered/poached the chicken with the usual suspects, onion, carrot, thyme sprigs, bay, parsley a few peppercorns. The chicken turned out absolutely moist and flavorful. That, I think has more to do with the cook, not the recipe.

 

[Sagittarius]

Whiskadoodle

Dx made a salad Olivier for a party last weekend. She has used a recipe since the 1970's copied from a Time-Life series of international cookbooks, this one from a Russian one. I've always thought the recipe is pretty mild.

The recipe called for 2 chicken breast halves + 4 small new potatoes. After the breasts were boned, they look pretty large. We set the 4 red skin golf ball size potatoes next to them and we both thought hmmm, these proportions do not appear quite right. Well, breasts are bigger these days. (!) These were farm raised organic too. Ok, 8 potatoes looked about right. Increased the boiled eggs accordingly too. Slice the eggs and taters. Add capers and diced dill pickles. That's all the ingredients in the recipe. Make a sour cream/ mayo dressing and that's about it. Dx usually makes a swell homemade mayo. She used jarred mayo. The serving bowl was nestled in another bowl of ice so it could sit outside for awhile in the afternoon as well as refilled. She garnished the salad with quartered compari tomatoes, (not in the recipe,) also about gold ball size, a scattering of more capers and a small heap of diced pickle in the center. She made 8 lbs chicken, plus the other ingredients proportionately, pretty easy salad. She simmered/poached the chicken with the usual suspects, onion, carrot, thyme sprigs, bay, parsley a few peppercorns. The chicken turned out absolutely moist and flavorful. That, I think has more to do with the cook, not the recipe.

Good afternoon,

There are many types of Russian Salads.

The Olivier was a very special salad which was documented by a Belgian French Chef who lived in Moscow and cooked at a Moscow Restaurant called The Hermitage, for Government officials, Royalty & Affluent Diners and Visiting Guests and Business Tycoons ..


The Russian Salad, has a trillion versions. Some employ chicken & potatoes, and many others tuna & potatoes and still and all a wide variety of ingredients.

There is no 1 récipe. Your´s is lovely. I have another post for Eñsadilla Rusa, A Spanish Russian Salad which is a renowned Tapa throughout Spain.

Charlie D´s is marvelous .. I had prepared it .. Grand fan of the salad.


Have a lovely day.

 

[johnperkins899]

Interesting recipe. Olivier is the main salad in Russia. The common recipe has such ingredients: boiled eggs, boiled potatoes and usually it's just a sausage, they have big sausage like Bologna sausage (or, sometimes chicken breast), then mayonnaise (I haven't tasted this salad with homemade mayonnaise, they have mayonnaise from the shops). Also, I have tasted Olivier with canned peas and onion.

 

[VanessaB]

Interesting, would definitely like to try it.
Thank you for sharing.

 

[Mad Cook]

We alread decided that each chef has his/hers own version of this salad. though I have never heard this one, unless he is like me and keeping kosher and is serving this salad as an appetiser with fish course. You see, if you keep kosher you cannot serve fish and meat at the same time.

This is my recipe:

equal amounts of potato, carrots, green peas, hard boiled eggs. For fish course imitation crab or shrimp, the real crab and shrimp are not kosher. For meat coarse, diced boiled chicken or turkey meat, cut up bologna. Never seen seen people adding salami or beef.
For those who do not keep kosher people mix meat and seafood products.

Additionally some people add cucumbers and/or onion. And then there are even those that add pickles. But in my book that is just beyond disgusting, even though I love pickles and cucumbers . Some things just do not match.

Now I'm going to try to add pictures here. See what happens. Usually I have problem with that.[/QUOTE
Hmm! The dreaded "Russian Salad" sold in tins by Heinz when I was a little girl may have been based on that but it has to taste better than the disgusting Heinz travesty

 

[CharlieD]

Hmm! The dreaded "Russian Salad" sold in tins by Heinz when I was a little girl may have been based on that but it has to taste better than the disgusting Heinz travesty

Obviously I never tried Heinz version.
But I am sure my version is better.

 

[di reston]

If you Google 'How popular is Russian (or Oliviar) throughout the world?' You may get a surprise!

di reston


Enough is never as good as a feast Oscar Wilde