Olivier Salad – Russian Style, is a traditional potato salad that is wildly popular in Eastern-European countries. In Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and their ex-pat communities worldwide, this salad has become one of the main dishes during family gatherings and holiday celebrations. It’s an easy-to-make dish and a great ‘make-in-advance’ option for which the flavors will intensify and taste even better the next day.
People around the globe believe that Olivier Salad has Russian origin. In fact, the original version was created in the1860s in Russia, but by a cook of Belgian origin – Lucien Olivier, the chef of Hermitage, one of Moscow’s most celebrated restaurants. Later, the recipe was adopted and modified by other restaurants to replace rare ingredients with more readily available foods, and eventually wildly embraced by masses. You can read more about the Olivier Salad history here.
There are numerous variants of Olivier Salad in every country and even within families. For instance, my Mom’s Olivier Salad tastes different from mine due to substitutes based on personal preferences. Despite all the different variations the main ingredients usually include potatoes, carrots, eggs, pickles, peas, onions, bologna sausage or ham or chicken breast, all mixed with mayo.
Ingredients I use in my version of the Olivier salad:
- Boiled potatoes
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Green peas (canned or fresh, or fresh-frozen)
- Chicken breast (or other options like turkey breast or black-forest ham). Consider buying fully cooked chicken breast strips if you want to save some time.
- Mini dill pickles
- Fresh cucumber and sprouts/microgreens (for garnishing)
- Olive oil mayonnaise (for dressing)
Tips for Olivier Salad – Russian Style
- You can boil potatoes (and carrots if used) and eggs in advance so they can cool at room temperature.
- You can prepare the entire salad in advance and keep it in the fridge without adding mayonnaise and raw onion (if used).
- For visual appeal, dice all ingredients into small cubes of approximately the same size.
- Serve this salad chilled. Garnish with fresh cucumbers & sprouts or microgreens for visual appeal and additional nutrients.
Nutrition Facts
8 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories247
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
9.18g
14%
- Saturated Fat 2.33g 10%
- Trans Fat 00.63g
- Cholesterol 68mg 23%
- Sodium 223mg 10%
- Potassium 223mg 7%
- Total Carbohydrate
23.5g
8%
- Dietary Fiber 4.2g 16%
- Sugars 2.85g
- Protein 17.28g 34%
- Vitamin A 44%
- Vitamin C 34%
- Calcium 5%
- Iron 12%
- Vitamin D 4%
- Vitamin E 3%
- Vitamin K 13%
- Thiamin 18%
- Riboflavin 19%
- Niacin 50%
- Vitamin B6 49%
- Vitamin B12 14%
- Folate 48%
- Phosphorus 32%
- Magnesium 16%
- Zinc 18%
- Selenium 28%
- Copper 28%
- Manganese 19%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is estimated. It is calculated using an online nutrition calculator based on recipe ingredients as inputs. Accuracy is dependent on the calculator. It is not intended as a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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