Olivier salad

The history of Olivier began in the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow in the 1860s and is linked to the name of the chef Lucien Olivier. Early versions of the salad differed noticeably from modern ones: they included hazel grouse, capers, and olives. In Soviet times, a home version developed with potato, eggs, cucumbers, green peas, and meat or boiled sausage. It was this version that became one of the main dishes of the New Year’s table.

The Olivier salad was created in 19th‑century Moscow by French chef Lucien Olivier, featuring luxurious ingredients like partridges and lobster. After the 1917 Revolution, it fell out of favour as a «bourgeois» dish. In the 1930s, it was reimagined as Salat Stolichny («Capital Salad»), with chicken replacing game. During WWII and the post‑war years, ingredients were further simplified — chicken gave way to affordable doktorskaya sausage (pale pink, mildly flavored Russian boiled sausage with a smooth, bologna-like texture). By the 1960s, mass production of mayonnaise and canned peas made the salad widely accessible. It gradually became a staple of Soviet New Year celebrations due to its festive look and hearty composition. The classic Soviet version included potatoes, carrots, eggs, peas, pickles, sausage, and mayonnaise. Today, this adapted Olivier remains a beloved holiday tradition across Russia and post‑Soviet countries.

For Olivier, it’s all about properly prepared ingredients—roasted vegetables and fresh peas. That gives the dish a whole new vibe.
At Kirillitsa, I add crab and beef tongue—which we slow-cook for 24 hours—to the salad. I use homemade mayonnaise, blended with sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice

represented by

Evgeny Vikentiev

cooking
time 60 min

difficulty
level Easy

key
ingredients 8

Ingredients

potatoes

400 g

carrots

150 g

eggs

4 pcs

doctor's sausage or cooked beef or chicken

300 g

pickled cucumbers

250 g

canned green peas

200 g

mayonnaise

120 g

parsley

to taste

ground black pepper

to taste

salt

to taste

Portions: 6

Recipe

Clean potatoes and carrots, but do not peel them. Boil in their skins to keep the texture dense. for 30 minutes until they are cooked. Let cool completely.

Boil the eggs for 8-10 minutes, depending on their size, and then cool them in cold water.

Meticulous cutting is very important for the classic Soviet Olivier salad. Every ingredient should be of the same size, your reference here is the size of a green pea.

Peel cooled potatoes, carrots and eggs. Cut into small cubes of the same size. Do the same with meat or sausage and pickled cucumbers.

Drain the peas and combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Finely chop the parsley leaves or a sprig of dill and add them to the salad. Dress the salad with mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Serving

Typically Olivier salad is garnished with herbs, quail eggs and sometimes a teaspoon of red salmon caviar (optional).

Hint: it may be difficult to find Doktorskaya sausage which is about a 10-cm in diameter mortadella-style sausage. It can be replaced with boiled chicken meat, boiled beef or beef tongue.

where
to try

Voskhod

Moscow

A restaurant in Zaryadye Park, in the very heart of Moscow, where nostalgia for the Soviet past meets a futuristic vision of the future. The interior is designed in a neo-futuristic «cosmic» style: floating flowerpots, vases with red carnations, bas-reliefs of workers and collective farm women, while the ceiling evokes the legendary Kosmos restaurant at the Rossiya Hotel. The kitchen presents a panorama of the cuisines of the peoples of the USSR, united into a single universe of modern Russian cuisine. A place where imperial grandeur and socialist abundance are transformed into a nostalgic fantasy of a great country.

Co–Co Chalet

Sochi

An après-ski destination in Krasnaya Polyana, housed in a Swiss-style chalet with panoramic mountain views. Here, Russian cuisine meets alpine comfort: traditional buckwheat porridge with forest mushrooms, pelmeni in rich broth, and baked carp with sour cream sit alongside European favourites. The menu also features hot meat and fish dishes from the grill, hearty pies, and homemade nalistniki (crepes) with berry jams. A fireplace, exposed beams, and a terrace overlooking Rosa Khutor’s illuminated peaks complete the alpine experience.

Uhvat

Moscow

A contemporary restaurant inspired by traditional Russian oven cooking, where many dishes are prepared using classic slow-cooking techniques. The menu celebrates authentic Russian flavors with a modern presentation.