Russian Olivier Salad
The salad goes watery for two reasons: the potatoes were cut while hot (so they crumble), or the mayonnaise went in too early. Boil the potatoes in their skins, chill them completely, then dice — and dress no more than an hour before serving.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Calories
- 290
Olivier is the most famous salad in Russia and across Eastern Europe, and it's on every New Year's table. Simple to make, and all the difficulty is in the details: even dicing, and thorough chilling.
Method
-
1
Boil in the skins
Boil the potatoes and carrots in their skins in salted water for 20-25 minutes, until a knife goes in easily without them falling apart. Boil the eggs for 9 minutes.
⏱ 25 min -
2
Chill completely
Refrigerate everything for at least two hours, or overnight. Cutting them warm crumbles them and the salad turns to mush.
⏱ 120 min -
3
Dice
Peel and dice everything to the same size (about half a centimetre). That evenness isn't cosmetic — it means every spoonful has everything in it.
⏱ 25 min -
4
The pickles
Dice the pickles to the same size and squeeze them in your hand or pat them dry — their liquid thins the mayonnaise.
⏱ 5 min -
5
Combine
Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard, salt and pepper and fold it through gently with a large spoon so the cubes stay whole.
⏱ 5 min -
6
Rest
Chill for an hour before serving so the flavours settle. Add the dill at serving time.
⏱ 60 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Boiling in the skins stops the potatoes absorbing water — the first cause of a watery salad.
- Chilling completely before dicing isn't an extra step; it's what keeps the cubes as cubes.
- Squeeze the pickles. Their liquid alone is enough to loosen the whole bowl.
- Don't dress more than two hours ahead — the vegetables start drawing water.
People also ask
Why is mine loose instead of holding together?
Most likely the ingredients were diced warm, the pickles weren't squeezed, or the mayonnaise went in too early. All three release water.
How long does it keep?
Two days maximum in a sealed container. After that the vegetables weep and the mayonnaise splits.
What was the original?
The nineteenth-century original used luxury meats and caviar. The version everyone makes now is the simplified Soviet one — potato, carrot, peas and pickles.
Cook mode
Russian Olivier Salad
-
1
Boil in the skins
Boil the potatoes and carrots in their skins in salted water for 20-25 minutes, until a knife goes in easily without them falling apart. Boil the eggs for 9 minutes.
-
2
Chill completely
Refrigerate everything for at least two hours, or overnight. Cutting them warm crumbles them and the salad turns to mush.
-
3
Dice
Peel and dice everything to the same size (about half a centimetre). That evenness isn't cosmetic — it means every spoonful has everything in it.
-
4
The pickles
Dice the pickles to the same size and squeeze them in your hand or pat them dry — their liquid thins the mayonnaise.
-
5
Combine
Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard, salt and pepper and fold it through gently with a large spoon so the cubes stay whole.
-
6
Rest
Chill for an hour before serving so the flavours settle. Add the dill at serving time.
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