A festive spread of Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat and pelmeni, the traditional centerpieces of a Russian New Year's table.
New Year's Eve, not Christmas, is traditionally the biggest holiday feast in Russia, and this platter brings together three dishes that appear on nearly every Russian table that night: Olivier salad, a mayonnaise-dressed mix of diced potato, carrot, peas, pickles and ham; herring under a fur coat (shuba), a striking layered salad of salted herring, potato, carrot and beet coated in mayonnaise; and pelmeni, small meat-filled dumplings boiled and served with butter or sour cream. Each dish requires its own separate preparation but none are individually difficult, which is part of why they've endured as a shared holiday tradition -- families often make large batches together in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. Olivier salad's defining feature is dicing every ingredient into small, uniform cubes so each bite has a bit of everything, while shuba's dramatic layered presentation, with its magenta beet topping, is meant to be visually striking when brought to the table. Served together as the centerpiece of a Russian New Year's spread, alongside champagne and often more dishes besides, this platter reflects a night built around abundance, tradition and dishes that are just as much about shared preparation as they are about the meal itself.
Serves 8
Dice 2 potatoes, 1 carrot, ham and eggs into small, uniform cubes. Combine with peas, pickles, half the mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon salt. Chill until serving.
In a deep dish, layer diced herring and onion, then a layer of grated boiled potato, then grated carrot, spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise between each layer.
Spread each layer edge to edge and press down gently before adding mayonnaise -- neat, even layers are what give shuba its signature striped appearance when sliced.
Top with a final layer of grated boiled beet, spread with the remaining mayonnaise to fully coat the top and sides. Chill at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add frozen pelmeni and cook until they float and the dough is tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
Drain the pelmeni and toss with butter. Serve hot with sour cream on the side for dipping.
Set out the Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat and the buttered pelmeni together, along with extra sour cream, for a shared New Year's Eve spread.
Dice all the Olivier salad ingredients into small, uniform cubes -- consistent size is part of what makes the salad look and taste balanced in every bite.
Chill the herring under a fur coat for at least a couple of hours, ideally overnight, so the layers set and the flavors meld together.
Buy good-quality frozen pelmeni if you're not making them from scratch; the holiday spread is demanding enough without also making dumpling dough by hand.
Homemade pelmeni: make the dumpling dough and filling from scratch for a more traditional, labor-intensive version of the dish.
Vegetarian Olivier: skip the ham and add extra diced pickles and boiled egg for a meat-free version of the salad.
Simplified spread: for a smaller gathering, focus on just one salad and the pelmeni rather than preparing the full three-dish platter.
Refrigerate each component separately up to 3 days in airtight containers. The salads are served cold and don't need reheating; reheat leftover pelmeni gently in butter in a skillet.
New Year's Eve is traditionally the most significant holiday feast in Russia, a legacy of the Soviet era when New Year's replaced religious Christmas celebrations as the primary winter holiday, and dishes like Olivier salad, herring under a fur coat and pelmeni remain fixtures of that celebration today.
The salad was created by a chef named Lucien Olivier in 19th-century Moscow, and while the modern home version differs significantly from his original recipe, it retains his name and has become known internationally as Russian salad.
The dish depends on the salty, briny herring for its distinct flavor, but if unavailable, some households substitute another salted or smoked fish, though the taste will differ noticeably.
The Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat can both be made a day ahead and chilled, actually improving in flavor, while the pelmeni should be cooked fresh close to serving time.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 8 servings total
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