Ensaladilla rusa

Ensaladilla rusa is a cold salad of diced boiled potato, carrot and peas dressed with mayonnaise, widely served across Spain as a tapa. Its name is Spanish for "little Russian salad", and it is a different dish from the Russian salad of the same name in other countries.

What it really is

The base is boiled potato cut into small cubes, mixed with cooked carrot, peas and usually tuna and hard-boiled egg, all bound with mayonnaise. Many classic versions add diced pickled gherkin or pickled vegetables and a little mustard or lemon to the dressing. The salad is assembled after the components have cooled and is kept chilled until served.

It is often confused with the Russian salad (Olivier salad) found in Russia and Eastern Europe, which is built on diced cooked meat or sausage, pickles and mayonnaise. The Spanish version is typically lighter, with tuna and vegetables rather than meat, and it is commonly served as a small portion on bread or as a side plate, sometimes shaped into a dome and decorated with mayonnaise, egg or pimento.

How it's served

• Chilled, as a tapa or starter, often on bread or in a small dish.
• Served with bread for scooping or spreading.
• Often shaped into a dome or mound and decorated with mayonnaise, strips of pimento or egg.
• Commonly eaten as part of a shared spread of small plates in Spain.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the main components: potato, carrot, peas, tuna and mayonnaise.
• Flag EGGS, FISH and EGGS in the mayonnaise and any egg garnish, and MUSTARD if mustard is in the dressing.
• State whether the dish includes tuna, and whether pickled gherkin is used.
• Specify if the dish is served as a shaped dome or as a loose salad.