Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian Potato Salad)

4.65 from 17 votes

Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian Potato Salad)

Try this delicious ensaladilla rusa recipe for a taste of Spain's favorite summer dish. This Russian potato salad is a homemade dish that's worth trying!

Prep Time2

Cook Time1

Total Time3

Course: Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine: Spanish

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 465.87kcal

Author: Lauren Aloise

Ingredients

For the Salad

2 ¼ pounds waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold or red
1 pound fresh carrots
1 pound fresh green beans cut into bite-sized pieces
½ pound fresh peas
½ pound fresh beets optional
1 egg
1 tablespoon capers

For the Mayonnaise Dressing

1 egg at room temperature
⅔ cup good-quality olive oil
1 splash sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes

1 can good-quality tuna
1 cup boiled shrimp

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepping the Vegetables

Potatoes: Rinse and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. Boil until fork tender, then let them cool completely. Remove the skin and cut into cubes.
Beets: Cover with cold water, adding a little lemon juice or vinegar to prevent them from bleeding. Boil until tender, about an hour, then rinse under cold water and remove the skin. Thinly slice some of the beets for decoration if desired, then cube the rest.
Carrots: Peel them and cover with cold water. Boil until tender, but not mushy. Run them under cold water to cool, then cut into cubes.
Green Beans & Peas: Boil until they are tender and cooked.
Shrimp: Add the raw shrimp to a pot of boiling water, then leave them in until they turn pink and float to the surface, about 1-2 minutes. Immediately remove them and place in an ice bath to cool.
Hard-Boiled Egg: Boil an egg until it's hard-boiled; about 10 minutes. Chill it in an ice bath for 10 minutes, then peel and quarter lengthwise.

Making the Dressing

Separate the large egg carefully so no yolk gets in the white.
Place the egg yolk in a bowl, then add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar. Beat until combined, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while beating quickly. Keep beating until the mixture is thickened. Set aside one-quarter of the mayo for later.
Beat the reserved egg white to stiff peaks, then slowly add the egg white to the majority of the mayonnaise. This makes clarified mayonnaise.

Assembling the Salad

Mix together half of the vegetables and tuna or shrimp (if using) with some of the clarified mayonnaise (the batch with the egg whites mixed in).
Mix the rest of each vegetable with the regular mayonnaise, and decorate the top of the salad with little mountains of the different vegetables.
Decorate with capers, the thinly sliced beets, hard boiled egg, and extra shrimp or tuna. Serve cold and enjoy!

Notes

For the best flavor, make your own mayonnaise, as described in the recipe. If you are short on time, use a good-quality jarred variety.
Be sure to add the oil slowly to the mayonnaise to prevent the mixture from splitting, beating quickly as you go. If it does split, add an extra egg yolk to re-emulsify it.
Don't want the salad to turn pink? Serve the beets on the side.
For a fancy, old-fashioned look, decorate the salad with thinly sliced beets, capers, boiled shrimp, or quartered hard-boiled eggs.

Nutrition