Is it possible to give an example of at least one more salad that will be a real symbol of home holidays and family feasts? Probably not. Olivier salad has become a real classic; it can be prepared in almost every home, and everywhere it has its own little secrets and preferences.

It is believed that it is quite simple to prepare, the ingredients for Olivier are quite accessible and relatively inexpensive, but, as they say, everything has its own little secrets and tricks to make the dish really tasty.

If you are interested in how to prepare Olivier salad so that the result is an A plus, then we will definitely share with you all the secrets of this process. True, we’ll do this a little later, but first we’ll get acquainted with the history of its emergence on the horizons of modern cooking.

What’s interesting is that such a popular and almost integral recipe for the peoples of the post-Soviet space appeared some 50-60 years ago in the form in which we know it today. He owes his invention to the famous French chef Lucien Olivier, who, by the way, awarded it its modern name.

In the 60s of the 19th century, Lucien Olivier kept a small restaurant on Trubnaya Square called “Hermitage”, the main attraction of which was the one of the same name.

Lucien kept his recipe a closely guarded secret, and disguised all the components of the dish with the help of sauce and mayonnaise in such a way that at first glance it was very difficult to determine what was included in it. After the death of the creator, it was believed that the recipe was lost, but in 1904 a recipe was made public, which was considered a true reproduction of the original.

It consisted of completely different ingredients that we are used to seeing in our dish: hazel grouse meat, veal tongue, fresh cucumbers and a little pressed caviar, everything was seasoned with a special sauce and garnished with fresh salad.

Isn't it difficult to find any similarity? During Soviet times, Olivier salad began to appear on the tables of ordinary residents, however, it acquired a somewhat “communist” character: the dish was created from those products that were easier to find in times of shortage. It was then that peas and boiled soup, eggs and potatoes appeared in it, as well as the taste that is so familiar and familiar to us.

Cooking features

Today, a salad familiar from childhood, like any other, has its own characteristics and cooking secrets that help to prepare a truly tasty dish. So what are they?

• It is best to cut all the ingredients for the salad into small cubes, the size of which will be in harmony with the size of the peas. The same size of all components of the salad will allow you to reveal the taste of each, as well as its interaction with each other, moreover, this type of dish looks more appetizing and attractive. To make Olivier a little non-standard, the components can be cut, for example, into long strips.
• The classic salad recipe always uses boiled sausage, but today, instead of it, boiled chicken fillet, veal or any other meat product at their discretion has long been used. With the help of such additions, the dish acquires new flavor notes: with chicken, Olivier becomes more tender, but with beef, it acquires a more meaty flavor. What to choose is up to the owner, but if you want to prepare the traditional version of the dish, then you will definitely need boiled sausage.
• In addition to meat, eggs and potatoes are always added to the salad, so it is believed that there should be exactly as many of them as there are planned guests at the table. The potatoes are boiled in their skins in advance, the main thing is not to overcook them, since during slicing they will fall apart and turn into puree. Potatoes and eggs, like all other ingredients that can be cooked, must be cooled to room temperature, and only then mixed and placed in the refrigerator.
• There are some experimenters who, instead of meat, put fish products in the salad, for example, a crab neck or pieces of red fish fillet. Although it’s a stretch, such versions of the popular dish can also be called “Olivier”.
• To keep the salad in the refrigerator as long as possible, it is better not to season it with mayonnaise right away, but to do it immediately before serving.
• Traditionally, it is customary to decorate a prepared salad with herbs, as well as figurines from the products that are included in its composition. For example, peas, beautiful meat or vegetable circles, as well as openwork molds.
• By the way, it is not necessary to use mayonnaise as a dressing; other fermented milk products are also acceptable - kefir or sour cream. It is believed that the best dressing for Olivier is 50 percent fat mixed with homemade sour cream, but low-calorie mayonnaise is not recommended. To further diversify the dressing, you can add a little mustard or horseradish to it, or you can make your own mayonnaise, which will also add some unusual flavor notes to the dish.

Cooking real Olivier with your own hands

To make the result truly tasty, not only the recipe itself is important, but also the quality of the products used in it, so approach the process of preparing them responsibly. So what do we need?

• medium-sized potatoes – 5 pcs.;
• pickled cucumbers – 6 pcs.;
• egg – 5 pcs.;
• carrots – 1 pc.;
• onions – 0.5 pcs.;
• chicken fillet – 500 g;
• canned peas - 1 jar;
• mayonnaise – 6-7 tbsp. spoon;
• salt, pepper to taste;
• greens for decoration.

It is necessary to boil jacket potatoes, carrots, eggs and chicken fillets in advance, cool to room temperature and only then start slicing. First, cut the fillet into small cubes, then the cucumbers - if you decide to use fresh ones, be sure to cut off the skin, so the salad will be more tender.

Next, add salt and pepper to taste; you can not only decorate the appearance with herbs, but also add them to the overall mass. All that remains is to season everything with mayonnaise, mix well and let it brew for 1 hour. Before serving, decorate and serve chilled.

2 pcs. chicken fillet meat;
6 pcs. potatoes medium size;
3 pcs. carrots medium size;
4 things. eggs;
6 pcs. pickled cucumbers medium size or 9 small;
1 small can of canned peas (200 gr.);
1 apple large, preferably juicy, sweet and sour;
1 onion smaller than average size;
400 grams mayonnaise "Provencal"(or 2 packs);
Salt, pepper, spices- taste.

Day one, preliminary.

On the first day, we prepare the products, cook, bake, and bring them to the state we need. And there are also secrets here.
During the day, rub two chicken fillets with salt and pepper, marinate with spices for baking boiled pork and put in the refrigerator for a day.

In the evening, wash potatoes and carrots with a brush before cooking. Moreover, at the bottom of a metal pan (but not aluminum) we place potatoes in their skins, and carrots on top. We try not to pour a lot of water - so that part of the carrots is not completely covered with water, so that the vegetables cook more like steam. It is important not to overcook them. After the water boils, it is enough to cook them without salt over medium heat for about 45 minutes, no more. Then immediately drain the water and leave the vegetables covered until cool, but not completely. When warm, vegetables peel well. But it is not recommended to cut them while warm, otherwise they will stick together.

Cook the eggs. After boiling, about 5-7 minutes, no longer. Warm (not hot!) eggs peel better. Cover the bowl with a lid with the peeled vegetables, add the eggs and leave overnight to cool completely. I usually take them out to the balcony.

Day two, New Year's Eve.

First of all, we need to bake the previously marinated chicken fillet in a frying pan or in the oven. And wait for it to cool completely before slicing. Therefore, it is better to do this procedure in the morning. Chef Olivier's recipe did not include chicken, but baked wild bird meat. If you have such meat, you can use it. But I like dietary chicken. Sometimes I replace it with chicken roll, but in no case with the usual boiled sausage, which my friends often put in Olivier.

Let's start chopping the cold ingredients. Moreover, Olivier, in his old recipe, indicated that the diced food should be small, no more than 0.5 cm.

First, cut the potatoes into the indicated cubes, then the carrots, after the eggs. Cut the chicken into cubes exactly the same size. After this, peel the apple, cut it into 4 pieces, and cut out the core. And then, like the previous vegetables, we cut each quarter lengthwise, then turn it across and again into even pieces, which ultimately turn into even cubes.

For a real Olivier salad, you need to take pickled cucumbers, not canned, not pickled and not fresh, but pickled. They are the secret of the spicy taste of the salad. Cut the cucumbers into cubes; no need to peel them.

Lastly, cut the onion into small cubes, as thin as possible. Not everyone loves onions in this salad, but they also add some flavor.

Salt, pepper, add seasonings to taste and mix the salad thoroughly. This is how I store it, and this way it can be stored for a long time in a cold place without mayonnaise. I usually make this salad in larger quantities than the specified amount. And before serving, I season with mayonnaise only the amount that I plan will be eaten. An undressed salad later, when I top it with mayonnaise before serving, retains its flavor better than a dressed one. In a dressed salad, the taste of all ingredients is mixed, and the piquancy is lost.

I leave the rest for later, because I have everything at home, and my friends really love this salad. And this way the prepared salad is the first thing that flies off the holiday table. Of course, I cook enough of it so that there is enough for everyone, and with some extra. It's really very tasty. The secrets of its preparation and Chef Olivier’s recipe, which I read long ago in an old recipe book, are also useful.

I suggest you try just this method of preparing Olivier salad. Both you and your friends will be satisfied. Bon appetit everyone!

Olivier salad is a classic dish without which no holiday feast is complete. For most people, it is associated with a good mood, fun, and a meal with dear friends and relatives. Despite this, few people remember more than two options for preparing such a salad. Experienced housewives who know several original recipes for this dish will help correct this situation.

Cooking secrets

Before you start creating the famous salad, you need to learn the basic secrets of its proper preparation. They will help not only avoid simple mistakes, but also make the dish as tasty as possible.

Housewives who have cooked Olivier many times, Newbies are advised to do the following::

1. In order to taste each ingredient in the salad, you need to cut them into equal pieces. The size standard should be peas, without which it is impossible to imagine this dish.
2. In most cases, products for Olivier are cut into cubes, but if you want to surprise your guests, you can chop the ingredients into strips. This will not only change its appearance, but also make the dish more original.
3. Before cutting cooked vegetables and adding them to the salad, you need to cool them naturally to room temperature. Otherwise, hot ingredients will spoil the taste of the dish.
4. If salad ingredients are removed from the refrigerator, they should be warmed to room temperature.
5. After the dish is prepared, it needs to sit on the table for 1 or 2 hours. Only after this can it be put in the refrigerator. If you miss this moment, the Olivier will not be soaked well, and its taste will be far from ideal.
6. You can decorate the salad not only with fresh herbs, but also with figures cut from one or more ingredients.
7. Olivier is served as a separate dish. However, it is not recommended to eat it with any other salad or meat.
8. If you need to prepare Olivier in advance, it is better not to season it with mayonnaise. The last operation can be done directly on the day of use.
9. You can store the prepared salad only in the refrigerator. Its shelf life is from 24 to 48 hours.

Simple and affordable recipes

Almost all Olivier recipes are prepared in similar ways. They use small quantities of each product, which can significantly reduce financial costs. This salad has long become an indispensable attribute of any holiday, so you definitely need to know how to prepare it.

A New Year's feast is unthinkable without the main salad of our cuisine. Olivier is prepared in almost all families, in large quantities at once, in order to stretch the pleasure over several days.

Five mistakes when preparing Olivier

It is very simple to prepare a tender and tasty Olivier, if, of course, you do not make annoying mistakes.

Mistake 1 - season with mayonnaise alone

Of course, it’s convenient and simple to take and squeeze mayonnaise from a bag. But then the dressing will turn out to be too heavy and filling. Don’t be lazy, add, for example, low-fat sour cream to mayonnaise. Or thick cream, as they did before the revolution.

We use thick Greek yogurt, it has the consistency of sour cream and the nutritional properties of kefir. The dressing turns out thick, tasty and healthy. Probiotics found in yogurt help with digestion.

If your store doesn't sell Greek yogurt, line a colander with cheesecloth or a paper towel, add plain plain yogurt, and let it drain for a few hours.

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise and yogurt in a one-to-one ratio, add a drop of lemon juice if you like, and season the salad.

If you set your sights on restaurant-quality Olivier, then prepare your own mayonnaise - it’s very simple. Homemade mayonnaise keeps well for several days; it is convenient to make it 3-4 days before the feast (we recommend planning your preparation so that you can sit down at the table in a good mood).

Be sure to season the salad immediately before serving, because after a few hours unnecessary moisture appears in the seasoned Olivier salad. Place the mixed ingredients in a container, put the dressing in another container, and the next day simply dress the salad.

Mistake 2 - adding sausage to Olivier

It's like showing up at the Bolshoi Theater in a tracksuit. Sausage was put in the Moskovsky salad, but it had no place in the Olivier salad. Even if your beloved grandmother always added doctor’s sausage. Even if you like the taste, it is an imitation and a fake, much inferior to the original. Make a real Olivier, don’t put it off until next year.

The choice of the main ingredient is yours. This can be boiled good meat (beef or chicken), crabs, boiled tongue and even baked meat.

According to legend, the French chef Lucien Olivier (Lucien never published the recipe) prepared Olivier from crayfish necks

The book “The Uninvented History of Russian Cuisine” by Olga and Pavel Syutkin tells that when the crayfish necks disappeared, they began to be replaced with caviar. You can add crayfish tails or some caviar.

Mistake 3 - adding more potatoes

There are a lot of delicious potato salads in the culinary world, but modern Olivier salad is not one of them.

In the pre-revolutionary book by Alexandrova-Ignatieva, it was recommended to take 5 potatoes for 5 servings, but in 1914 Olivier was laid out in layers, like a herring under a fur coat, the potatoes were cut differently to make two different layers.

In Soviet times, serving in layers was abolished, and a lot of potatoes were put in only because the remaining ingredients were expensive or impossible to buy. Now cucumbers and green peas are on the shelves in any store.

If you add too many potatoes, the consistency of the salad will be starchy and sticky. The remaining ingredients will not be noticeable. In addition, potatoes absorb the dressing, you have to add a lot of mayonnaise, and then the elegant taste is out of the question.

A modern kitchen should be useful and light; after a feast you should want to dance, and not collapse on the sofa.

A New Year's feast is unthinkable without the main salad of our cuisine. Olivier is prepared in almost all families, in large quantities at once, in order to stretch the pleasure over several days.

Five mistakes when preparing Olivier

It is very simple to prepare a tender and tasty Olivier, if, of course, you do not make annoying mistakes.

Mistake 1 - season with mayonnaise alone

Of course, it’s convenient and simple to take and squeeze mayonnaise from a bag. But then the dressing will turn out to be too heavy and filling. Don’t be lazy, add, for example, low-fat sour cream to mayonnaise. Or thick cream, as they did before the revolution.

We use thick Greek yogurt, it has the consistency of sour cream and the nutritional properties of kefir. The dressing turns out thick, tasty and healthy. Probiotics found in yogurt help with digestion.

If your store doesn't sell Greek yogurt, line a colander with cheesecloth or a paper towel, add plain plain yogurt, and let it drain for a few hours.

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise and yogurt in a one-to-one ratio, add a drop of lemon juice if you like, and season the salad.

If you set your sights on restaurant-quality Olivier, then prepare your own mayonnaise - it’s very simple. Homemade mayonnaise keeps well for several days; it is convenient to make it 3-4 days before the feast (we recommend planning your preparation so that you can sit down at the table in a good mood).

Be sure to season the salad immediately before serving, because after a few hours unnecessary moisture appears in the seasoned Olivier salad. Place the mixed ingredients in a container, put the dressing in another container, and the next day simply dress the salad.

Mistake 2 - adding sausage to Olivier

It's like showing up at the Bolshoi Theater in a tracksuit. Sausage was put in the Moskovsky salad, but it had no place in the Olivier salad. Even if your beloved grandmother always added doctor’s sausage. Even if you like the taste, it is an imitation and a fake, much inferior to the original. Make a real Olivier, don’t put it off until next year.

The choice of the main ingredient is yours. This can be boiled good meat (beef or chicken), crabs, boiled tongue and even baked meat.

According to legend, the French chef Lucien Olivier (Lucien never published the recipe) prepared Olivier from crayfish necks

The book “The Uninvented History of Russian Cuisine” by Olga and Pavel Syutkin tells that when the crayfish necks disappeared, they began to be replaced with caviar. You can add crayfish tails or some caviar.

Mistake 3 - adding more potatoes

There are a lot of delicious potato salads in the culinary world, but modern Olivier salad is not one of them.

In the pre-revolutionary book by Alexandrova-Ignatieva, it was recommended to take 5 potatoes for 5 servings, but in 1914 Olivier was laid out in layers, like a herring under a fur coat, the potatoes were cut differently to make two different layers.

In Soviet times, serving in layers was abolished, and a lot of potatoes were put in only because the remaining ingredients were expensive or impossible to buy. Now cucumbers and green peas are on the shelves in any store.

If you add too many potatoes, the consistency of the salad will be starchy and sticky. The remaining ingredients will not be noticeable. In addition, potatoes absorb the dressing, you have to add a lot of mayonnaise, and then the elegant taste is out of the question.

A modern kitchen should be useful and light; after a feast you should want to dance, and not collapse on the sofa.