Olivier Salad

About This Recipe

Olivier salad is the undisputed centrepiece of the Russian New Year (Novy God) table — the dish so central to the celebration that Russians often refer to it simply as 'salat', the salad, as though no other exists. Its origins trace to the 1860s when Lucien Olivier, a Belgian chef at Moscow's fashionable Hermitage restaurant, created an elaborate composed salad featuring grouse, crayfish tails, capers, smoked duck tongue, and a dressing whose exact formula he kept secret until his death. Competitors attempted to reverse-engineer the recipe, and a version published by culinary writer Aleksandr Suvorov in 1897 provides the closest surviving record of the original — still dramatically different from what Russians make today. The transformation into the modern Olivier salad happened during the Soviet era, when austerity and food rationing forced a radical simplification. The grouse became cooked chicken or doktorskaya kolbasa (Soviet-era bologna-style sausage), crayfish were replaced by peas from a tin, and the mysterious dressing became plain Soviet mayonnaise. Rather than diminish the dish, the Soviet version democratised it — suddenly every family could make it for New Year, and the ritual of making Olivier in enormous bowls the evening of December 31st became one of the most enduring traditions in Russian domestic life, maintained across generations and geographies. The texture standard is paramount: every ingredient must be cut to matching 7 mm cubes, a discipline that separates a proper Olivier from a rough approximation. This uniform dice creates a salad where each forkful delivers every flavour simultaneously — the starchy potato, sweet carrot, briny pickle, creamy egg, and tender meat in a single balanced mouthful. The mayonnaise binds rather than drowns, and the overnight rest allows the flavours to consolidate into something more cohesive than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 3 mediumwaxy potatoes(boiled in skins until just tender, peeled and diced 7 mm)
• 2 mediumcarrots(boiled until tender, diced 7 mm)
• 3hard-boiled eggs(cooled in ice water, peeled and diced 7 mm)
• 200 gcooked chicken breast or doktorskaya kolbasa (bologna)(diced 7 mm)
• 100 gcanned green peas(drained and rinsed)
• 3 smalldill pickles (ogurtsy), about 120 g(diced 7 mm; use Russian-style cornichons, not sweet pickles)
• 1 smallwhite onion, finely diced(soak in cold water 10 min to mellow the raw bite, then drain)
• 200 ggood-quality mayonnaise(Hellmann's or homemade; avoid sweet varieties)
• 1 tspDijon mustard(optional but traditional in older recipes)
• 1 tspfine salt
• 0.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook vegetables properly

   Boil potatoes whole and unpeeled in salted water until a knife slides in with slight resistance, about 20 minutes — they should not be mealy. Boil carrots separately until tender but not soft, about 15 minutes. Cool both completely before peeling and dicing: warm potatoes absorb mayonnaise and turn gluey.

   Cooking potatoes and carrots in their skins prevents waterlogging and preserves more flavour. Always cool to room temperature before dicing.

2. 2

   Hard-boil the eggs

   Lower eggs into simmering (not boiling) water and cook exactly 10 minutes for fully set yolks. Transfer immediately to ice water for 5 minutes, then peel. Cool completely before dicing — warm yolk smears and discolours the mayonnaise.

   Older eggs peel more easily than very fresh eggs. If the eggs are fresh from the market, add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water.

3. 3

   Dice everything to a uniform 7 mm

   Cut potatoes, carrots, eggs, meat, and pickles into matching 7 mm cubes with a sharp knife. Use a ruler if helpful — the uniform cut is the defining quality marker. Soak the diced onion in cold water for 10 minutes to remove harshness, then drain and pat dry.

4. 4

   Combine the base

   In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, carrots, eggs, meat, drained peas, pickles, and drained onion. Use a wide, gentle folding motion with a rubber spatula or two large spoons — aggressive stirring breaks the potato cubes and makes the salad mushy.

   A wide bowl is better than a tall one: you can fold without crushing.

5. 5

   Dress and season

   Add mayonnaise and mustard (if using) to the bowl. Fold through gently until every ingredient is lightly coated — the salad should look creamy but not swimming. Season with salt and pepper, tasting carefully as pickles and mayonnaise both contribute salt. A very small squeeze of lemon juice can lift the flavour if the salad tastes flat.

6. 6

   Chill and finish

   Cover the bowl with cling film pressed directly onto the surface of the salad to prevent a skin forming on the mayonnaise. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning — cold suppresses salt perception, so it often needs a final pinch. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with reserved peas and fresh dill.

7. 7

   Serve

   Serve cold as a starter or side dish. At New Year celebrations it is traditionally placed in the centre of the table alongside a herring-under-a-fur-coat salad (shuba), black bread, and zakuski.

Variations

• •

  Tuna Olivier: replace chicken with one 185 g can of drained tuna in oil — a popular and lighter everyday version that Soviets made when chicken was scarce.

• •

  Apple Olivier: add half a peeled, diced sweet apple such as Golden Delicious — the fruitiness and crunch add a freshness that balances the richness of the mayonnaise.

• •

  Healthier Olivier: replace half the mayonnaise with full-fat Greek yogurt and add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard — the yogurt adds tang and cuts calories without sacrificing creaminess.

• •

  Original Hermitage-style: for a theatrical dinner party version, use poached chicken, canned crayfish tails, capers, and a homemade mayonnaise enriched with a little truffle oil — a nod to Lucien Olivier's lost original.

Storage

Refrigerate covered (with cling film pressed to the surface) for up to 3 days. The flavours deepen and harmonise overnight, making next-day Olivier noticeably better than freshly made. Do not freeze — the potatoes and mayonnaise both collapse on thawing. Bring to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving so the mayonnaise loosens slightly.

Frequently Asked Questions