Mimoza – Layered Tuna Salad – Салат “Мимоза”

IMG_1114 (550x361)Easter was a big event back in the Soviet Union. People took their spring cleaning very seriously. You would watch your whole street cleaning up their houses, washing windows, sweeping porches, cleaning their yards, painting fences, etc.

The holiday meal was taken seriously too. Partly because there wasn’t an abundance of available ingredients or money and holidays gave people an excuse to splurge and create and enjoy some masterpieces. Baking all sorts of baked goodies was a must, and at Easter time, yeast breads were always the specialty. For more ideas for your Easter menu, you can look here

Fancy salads would decorate the table as well. Mimoza became popular in the 90s. The name doesn’t refer to the alcoholic beverage with a similar name (mimosa), but to a gorgeously budding tree. mimoza-2

The layered salad is a pretty presentation of common pantry ingredients. If you don’ t like tuna, you can use salmon or even chicken instead. The tender, dainty texture complements the charming presentation.

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter. It’s such a victorious, joyful time of year. A celebration of life, of hope and the beautiful story of redemption.

Ingredients:

3 medium gold potatoes

4-5 carrots

salt

6-8 eggs, hard-boiled

2 cans (5 oz each) tuna

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

1 3/4 – 2 cups mayonnaise

Place the carrots and potatoes in a pot, cover with water so that it barely covers the vegetables. Season with salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-35 minutes, just until the vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork. Don’t over cook the vegetables, or you will have a mashed potato and baby food carrot salad.

Drain the water from the vegetables and cool them.IMG_1006 (550x367)When they are cool enough to handle, peel them. It’s really easy to do with a butter knife or a paring knife.

I have 5 potatoes in the picture. You need only 3 potatoes for the recipe. I like to save time and energy by making extra and using it in different recipes. There’s extra carrots too. Why are the carrots cut in half? Because I was cooking them in a small pot and had to do so to make them fit:).

Hard boil the eggs. I have a post all about hard-boiling eggs; you can read all about it there.

Peel the eggs and cut them in half to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.

IMG_1081 (550x367)Drain the tuna and mash it with a fork. Mix the tuna with about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise.

You can also use canned salmon or even chicken instead of the tuna; the choice is up to you. IMG_0999 (550x367)

IMG_1001 (550x367)To assemble the salad, you can do it many different ways.

You can assemble it in a 8×8 inch glass baking pan, or on a plate.

You can create the layers free hand, or use a plate with sloped edges and create the layers by spreading the ingredients within the plate edges. I usually use a plate and assemble the salad one layer at a time, and make 2 smaller salads, about 6 inches in diameter each.

You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Spread half of the tuna on each plate into a circle. IMG_1004 (550x367)Using a box grater, finely grate about one and a half potatoes over the tuna on each salad. I like to use the the really small holes on a box grater (not the smallest, though), but you can use the large ones, if you like. IMG_1012 (333x500)

IMG_1014 (550x367)Place the mayo in a ziptop bag and snip off a tiny hole in one of the corners. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of mayo over the potatoes on each salad.IMG_1036 (550x356)

Drizzling the mayo on top is much easier than spreading it on with a spoon. It also helps to keep the texture of the salad light and fluffy, instead of dense and compact.

IMG_1040 (550x367)

IMG_1044 (550x367) You can drizzle the mayo as thick or thin as you like.

Do you also see the difference between the different ways of assembling the salad? It’s hard to see in this picture, but the 1st plate is flat and the second plate is deeper, like a soup bowl. I am shaping the 1st salad into a circle free hand, and the second salad I’m spreading each layer all the way to the edge of the plate. I hope it’s not too confusing.

Spread the finely grated cheese on top of the potatoes. You might need less than 1/4 cup of cheese on each salad, you need just enough to cover the potatoes in a thin layer. IMG_1054 (550x367) (2)Grate 2-2 1/2 carrots over the cheese on each salad, on the finest grater also. Drizzle with the same amount of mayonnaise.IMG_1055 (550x367)

IMG_1072 (550x367) For the last layer, finely grate the egg whites (3-4) only and drizzle with the same amount of mayo. This time, spread out the mayo with a spoon evenly on top of the egg whites. IMG_1084 (550x365)

IMG_1085 (550x367)

IMG_1096 (550x367)Mash up the egg yolks with a fork in a small bowl, or press them through a fine mesh sieve. Sprinkle on top of the salad. I garnished the salad with some simple flowers that I cut out from cooked carrots.

Keep the salad refrigerated.IMG_1105 (550x367)

Mimoza - Layered Tuna Salad
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 3 medium gold potatoes
  • 4-5 carrots
  • salt
  • 6-8 eggs, hard-boiled
  • 2 cans (5 oz each) tuna
  • ½ cup Mozzarella cheese, finely grated
  • 1¾ - 2 cups mayonnaise
Instructions
  1. Place the carrots and potatoes in a pot, cover with water so that it barely covers the vegetables. Season with salt.
  2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-35 minutes, just until the vegetables can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain the water from the vegetables and cool them.When they are cool enough to handle, peel them. It's really easy to do with a butter knife or a paring knife.
  3. Hard boil the eggs. I have a post all about hard-boiling eggs; you can read all about it there.
  4. Peel the eggs and cut them in half to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
  5. Drain the tuna and mash it with a fork. Mix the tuna with about ¼ cup of mayonnaise.You can also use canned salmon or even chicken instead of the tuna; the choice is up to you.
  6. To assemble the salad, you can do it many different ways.You can assemble it in a 8x8 inch glass baking pan, or on a plate.You can create the layers free hand, or use a plate with sloped edges and create the layers by spreading the ingredients within the plate edges. I usually use a plate and assemble the salad one layer at a time, and make 2 smaller salads, about 6 inches in diameter each.
  7. Spread half of the tuna on each plate into a circle.
  8. Using a box grater, finely grate about one and a half potatoes over the tuna on each salad. I like to use the the really small holes on a box grater (not the smallest, though), but you can use the large ones, if you like.
  9. Place the mayo in a ziptop bag and snip off a tiny hole in one of the corners. Drizzle about ¼ cup of mayo over the potatoes on each salad.You can drizzle it on as thick or thin as you like.
  10. Spread the finely grated cheese on top of the potatoes. You might need less than ¼ cup of cheese on each salad, you need just enough to cover the potatoes in a thin layer.
  11. Grate 2-2½ carrots over the cheese on each salad, on the finest grater also. Drizzle with the same amount of mayonnaise.
  12. For the last layer, finely grate the egg whites (3-4) only and drizzle with the same amount of mayo. This time, spread out the mayo with a spoon evenly on top of the egg whites.
  13. Mash up the egg yolks with a fork in a small bowl, or press them through a fine mesh sieve. Sprinkle on top of the salad. I garnished the salad with some simple flowers that I cut out from cooked carrots.
  14. Keep the salad refrigerated.

30 Comments

  • Liliya

    is it 5 or 3 potatoes? on pic you have 5. And how many ounces is your tuna? Thanks. I’ll be making this for Easter 🙂 Xpuctoc Bockpec!!!

  • Valentin Goncharenko II

    This salad is SO VERY tasty!! The tuna provides such a flavorful base and the smoothness of the eggs, the heartiness of potatoes and extra zing of carrots adds up to a gorgeous array of flavors and textures all at once!!! Perfection Olga!!! Great job!

  • Marina

    My mom has been making this salad for as long as I can remember, I’m glad you posted it, it’s one of our favorites. I had another salad planned for Easter but there is a good chance I might be changing my menu a little, and including this one instead:)

  • Luda from Harrisonburg, VA

    Beautiful Salad! I will try to make this one too. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderfl foods. Have a Blessed Easter. He has risen!

  • Nataliya

    Pruvet Olga

    Pasibki za etot salat, bydem delat ego….moj voprosik, kak tu tak krasiva ego na tarelky polozhula? Pasibki

  • elena

    R u saying that u ended up with 3 plates of salad with 6inches in diameter each. Or did u have one that was bigger and 2 smaller ones. Thanks

    • olgak7

      No, this recipe will yield 2 plates of salad, Elena. I was just showing 2 examples of different plates that can be used, either flat or deep. Either way, you’ll have 2 salads, unless you use a bigger or smaller plate.

  • Oksana K

    Ok, so at first i was wondering about the combination of tuna and cooked potatoes & carrots alltogether, but i had a feeling it will be unexpecteldy good (as everything else on this wonderful site ;-D ). So i dared to make my first, and bring to mom’s on Mother’s day, for a potluck (risky, i usually try my first, then do another to share).
    I haven’t followed instructions very carefully, so missed the part, where it says about recipe yelding 2 dishes, lol. Anyway, i had some leftover ingridients – no big deal, used them elsewhere…
    But, boy! did it turn out good, or what?!?! 😀 My sister called it “tuna shuba” lol… very similar! And everyone liked it, it was new, pretty and yummy! Looked very nice with decor just like yours, except for the “walls” i had shredded cheese on the sides, because they didn’t look as pretty as yours. Thank you Olichka!!! God bless you for doing this. We all benefit from this site a whole lot! 🙂

  • Tallya

    Thank you for this recipe, I made it for my picnic birthday party today and everyone loved it. I made it in clear 8oz plastic cups with lids for portability, and the individual salads looked cute. I sprinkled them with green onion and I think that added a little extra flavor which I liked. Be blessed!

    • olgak7

      That’s great, blueberry – I’m thrilled that you like it. Sure, use onions. I don’t like the taste of raw onions, but that’s a personal preference. If you like it, onions will be awesome!

  • Diana

    So out of the 6-8 eggs you only grate 3-4 of the egg whites? also do you mind sharing how you cut the carrots into flowers like that?

    • olgak7

      If you read the instructions, you will see that I actually made 2 salads. so, 3-4 egg whites, per salad. For the carrot flowers, I just sliced a cooked carrot into slices and then cut out tiny triangles out of the sides all the way around.

  • Elizabeth S.

    This is one of my favorite Russian salads, thanks for the step-by-step! I’m pretty sure I prefer it with onion, maybe grate it finely so it doesn’t come across too strong?

  • Svetlana

    I forgot about this salad. Didn’t make it for a long time. I have to make it again. Your looks so great and delicious that I want in right away 😉

  • Victoria

    This is a favorite in our home. I have never used tuna fish and it was delicate and delicious.
    I just put the potatoes as the first level. Thank you for a new version of memoza. This one is a keeper. Made this for Chrismas and New Year, awesome.

      • Victoria

        The recipe that was taught to me by my Mom does not have potatoes. The egg whites, sardines w/mayo, onion /w vinegar, carrots, cheese or butter, egg yolks. The base is made from egg whites and there is diced, vinegar soaked and rung out onion level. It gives it a little zing, but the salad will “run”, after the first day of preparation.

  • Vita

    Hi Olga,

    I love your blog! I just discovered it recently and have already tried a few recipes with great success! I was wondering if I could use mild cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella because that’s all I have on hand right now, but would love to make this today.

  • Aleksiy

    This is one of my all time favorite Russian foods. THIS here is what convinced my friends that Russians don’t eat only boiled potatoes & fish!
    Olga—my refrigerator broke the other day, so my family decided to make the best of it & have a big dinner as not to waste the food. This salad was so delicious alongside some cherubeki, various pickles, of course potatoes and some sausages. I myself am vegetarian, so we made “lent style” salad—I put in slightly mash chickpeas, with a bit of crushed nori, instead of the tuna. This worked perfectly.
    Your site makes me smile. Thank you for this awesome collections of home style food 🙂

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