Mimosa Salad (Salmon layered salad)
One of the key figures on a festive table! This layered dish combines creamy potatoes, sweet carrots, and savory smoked salmon with a tangy lemon mayo dressing. Perfect for holidays or special occasions, it's a traditional Russian salad that's sure to impress!
"Salat Mimoza" is a festive layered salad or cocktail salad that first appeared in the USSR in the early 1970s. It got its name because of its resemblance to mimosa flowers (silver wattle). In European cuisine, a garnish or dish decoration called "mimosa" is known, made from sieved egg yolks, named due to the similarity with mimosa petals.
The recipes for Salat Mimoza are quite similar among different versions, with variations mainly in some ingredients, their proportions, and the sequence of layers. This particular recipe results in a tender and filling salad. Many Salat Mimoza recipes tend to be overly complicated with various, and sometimes unnecessary, ingredients. Some versions include a layer of semi-hard cheese, which seems a bit pointless to me, as the cheese doesn't add much flavor to the salad.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 large or 3 medium potatoes
- 2 carrots, peeled
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup smetana or crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- 200 g cold-smoked salmon, finely cut or 1 can of salmon
- Kosher salt
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 1 large hard-boiled egg yolk, sieved
Instructions:
Prepare the Vegetables and Eggs:
Place the potatoes and carrots in a saucepan, covering them with 1 to 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and allow to cool to room temperature.
Boil the eggs, then finely chop them.
Mix the Dressing:
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, and juice. Transfer two-thirds of this mixture to a larger bowl and mix in the smetana, dill, parsley, and both types of salmon. Season with salt.
Grate the Vegetables:
Once the potatoes have cooled, peel and grate them. Grate the carrots separately.
Assemble the Salad:
In a glass pie plate, start with a layer of grated potatoes. Add the salmon mixture, then a layer of grated carrots, and finally the chopped eggs. More traditional recipe calls for a layer of mayo on top of each vegetable layer. I only add lemon mayonnaise on top of carrots in my version of the salad.
Spread the reserved lemon mayonnaise on top. Garnish with extra dill and sieved egg yolk.
