Haitian – Salade Russe (Russian Salad)
This is the famous Salade Russe, or Russian Salad, found in every Haitian household during the holidays and Sundays. This salad is very easy to make but requires some preparation.
I should call it “Haitian Salade Russe” or Haitian Salade Russe. There are several versions of this dish. Every household has its own recipes. The spices may differ, but the main ingredients are the same. Potato, peas, carrots, and beets are the main ingredients.
While writing this post, a little bird told me to google the name, and I did. To my surprise, there was a ton of information about this famous salad on the web. It is famous because of its long history. Compared to other dishes that have changed over time and practically lost their originality, Salade Russe has retained one important ingredient, mayonnaise.
No matter how many other ingredients or spices added are removed, mayonnaise has remained the binding agent.
The “salade Russe” is also called Olivier Salad.
Olivier salad is a traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, which is also popular in many other European countries, Iran, Israel, Mongolia, and South American countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
In modern recipes, it is usually made with diced boiled potatoes, carrots, dill pickles, green peas, eggs, and diced boiled chicken (or sometimes ham or bologna sausage) and is dressed with mayonnaise.
The dish is Russian salad, although this term can connote Vinaigrette. Another variation called Stolichny salad exists and is also popular in culture. You can certainly read more about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_salad or http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salade_russe. The history is quite interesting. I invite you to read more about it before making the recipe.
This is a very simple yet tasty dish. A perfect side dish for family gatherings or as a starter for a fancy dinner. It will impress your guests by serving this elegant and gorgeous Russian Salad that is easy to prepare. You can even experiment with different ingredients, such as mushrooms, broccoli, etc.
This salad is usually served with Chicken Creole Sauce, Rice with DJon Djon, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, and Fried Plantains, the perfect Haitian dinner.
Now that we have learned the origins of Salade Russe let’s get cooking!
Haitian – Salade Russe (Russian Salad)
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes
- 1 – 2 carrots
- 1 large beet
- 1/2 cup sweet peas
- ¼ cup onion minced
- 1/3 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/3- teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 – 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and add to a large saucepan with water and boil until fully cook but not too soft. Remove from water, cut in cubes and set aside. While the potatoes are cooking, peel and cut the carrots in small cubes and set aside to cool. In another saucepan, add carrots and peas with a little bit of water. Bring to a boil and cook thoroughly. Remove from water and set aside to cool. In another saucepan add beet and cook thoroughly. When cooked, peel and cut in cubes and set aside to cool. In a large boil, add potatoes, beet, carrots, peas, onion, green bell pepper, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
You’re mixing 2 different salads here. Olivier is made with potatoes, carrots, peas, eggs and some kind of meat and you use mayo in it. There is another salad called vinergret and it has potatoes, carrots beats and pickles and it is usually dressed with any kind of vegetable oil