Salads
Mimosa salad
Mimosa salad has sat on Russian holiday tables next to Olivier salad and herring under a fur coat for decades. It is named after its top layer of grated egg yolk, which looks like fluffy yellow mimosa flowers. Underneath are layers of canned fish, potatoes, carrots, egg whites and cheese, held together with mayonnaise. The secret to a good one is grating everything straight into the dish without pressing it down, then giving it time to set. That keeps it light and moist. Scalding the onion first removes its harsh bite.
Method
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Scrub the potatoes and carrots and boil them in their skins until tender: potatoes for 20-25 minutes, carrots for 25-30 minutes. Cool and peel.
Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool in cold water and peel. Separate the whites from the yolks.
Chop the onion very finely, cover with boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
Tip the fish into a bowl, remove any large bones and mash with a fork along with 2-3 tablespoons of juice from the can.
Assemble the salad on a flat dish or in a ring. First layer: half the potatoes, coarsely grated. Season lightly and pipe a thin lattice of mayonnaise.
Add the fish, then the onion and a little mayonnaise. Grate the carrots over the top and cover with mayonnaise.
Grate over the egg whites, then the remaining potatoes, piping a thin layer of mayonnaise over each. Finely grate the cheese on top and cover with a mayonnaise lattice.
Finally, finely grate the yolks straight over the salad. Don't press down.
Chill for at least 2-3 hours, ideally overnight. Decorate with dill sprigs before serving.
Tips for success
- Grate everything directly into the dish and never press the layers down; that keeps the salad airy.
- Boil the vegetables the day before. Cold vegetables grate neatly instead of turning mushy.
- Pipe the mayonnaise from a bag with the corner snipped off for thin, even layers.
- If using a ring, lift it off only after the salad has set.
Serving and storage
Serve chilled, cutting portions with a cake slice so every layer shows.
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Not suitable for freezing.
Variations
- With rice instead of potatoes: 100 g of cooked rice makes it lighter.
- With butter: grate 50 g of frozen butter over the fish layer, an old-school trick.
- With apple: a grated sour apple after the carrots freshens it up.
Calories and macros
Per serving (about 216 g):
Per 100 g: 213 kcal, P 8.5, F 16.8, C 6.3. An estimate based on average ingredient values. Your daily calories ›
