Ingredients for “Ensaladilla rusa” Murcian style!
- 2 cans tuna in olive oil
- 3 boiled eggs
- 10 pickels in vinegar
- 10 baby carrots
- 1 pinch Salt
- Mayonnaise
Cooking Instructions for making “Ensaladilla rusa” Murcian style!
The first step is to boil the potatoes whole, with the skin on. Fill a pot with enough water to cover them and add the potatoes. Once the water starts boiling, let them cook until they are tender when pierced with a fork (about 20–30 minutes).
To make hard-boiled eggs, you can add them to the pot with the potatoes. Once the water starts boiling, let them cook for 10 minutes, then remove them. If you prefer, you can boil them separately in a small pot.
In the meantime, you can start chopping the pickles and carrots into very small pieces.
Once the potatoes are done, remove them from the water and let them cool so you can peel them without burning yourself. You’ll see that the skin comes off easily.
Cut them into small pieces and place them in a bowl for mixing later.
Once cooled, peel and chop the eggs. Then, drain the tuna, making sure to remove as much oil as possible. Add everything to the potatoes.
Also, add the chopped pickles and baby carrots.
Finally, the mayonnaise: For this salad, my cousin’s mother-in-law, who used to own a very famous restaurant years ago in Murcia called “El Cherro”, gave me a tip. She makes one of the best “ensaladilla rusa” I’ve ever tasted and says that using Hellmann’s mayonnaise is better than homemade for this recipe. Oh! And you need to add a generous amount of mayonnaise, okay?
To finish, mix everything very well and add salt to taste. The potatoes should be mashed almost into a purée—this is the key trick to this salad! Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill.
By the way! It’s even better the next day!! (You can keep it in the fridge for 2 or 3 more days if it’s not finished the same day!)
This is how they serve it in Murcia; this tapa is called “marinera”!
Leave a Reply