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Salad 'Ryzhik' with Carrots and Crab Sticks
Instructions
Tip the walnuts (½ cup, about 50 g) onto a chopping board and chop them with a knife into a coarse crumb 3–5 mm in size – nuts that are too fine get lost in the salad, while larger pieces stay crunchy and stand out. For a brighter, nuttier aroma you can toast the nuts first in a dry pan for 2–3 minutes, until the characteristic smell appears. If you have no walnuts, you can replace them with roasted peanuts or cashews – the flavour will be different, but still interesting.
Wash the carrots (5–6 medium, about 400–500 g) thoroughly under running water with a brush to remove any soil – raw carrots need to be cleaned perfectly. Trim off the tops and tips and peel them with a vegetable peeler or a knife. Choose juicy, sweet, bright-orange carrots – the flavour of the whole salad depends on their quality. Pale or limp carrots give a watery, lacklustre result.
Grate the carrots on a fine grater – it is the fine grater that creates the salad's delicate texture and lets the carrots soak up the dressing in a matter of minutes. From 5–6 carrots you get roughly 2–2.5 cups of grated mass. If the carrots are very juicy and have released a lot of juice, lightly squeeze them with your hands over the sink – excess liquid will make the salad watery.
Take the crab sticks (1 package, 200 g) out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking – slightly softened sticks are easier to cut. Peel the film off each stick and cut them into small cubes 5–7 mm in size – they add a bright red-and-white colour and a slightly sweet flavour to the salad. The crab sticks can be replaced with natural crab meat, prawns or even boiled chicken breast.
Peel the garlic (4–5 cloves, about 15–20 g) and put it through a press straight over the bowl of carrots – that way not a single drop of the aromatic juice is lost. If you have no press, grate the garlic on a fine grater. Adjust the amount of garlic to taste: 4 cloves give a moderate piquancy, 5 or more a pronounced sharpness. For a milder flavour you can pour boiling water over the chopped garlic for 30 seconds.
Peel the onion (1 small, about 50 g) and cut it into very small cubes 2–3 mm in size – large pieces of onion would break up the salad's delicate texture. For a milder flavour and to remove any bitterness, pour boiling water over the chopped onion for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry – scalded onion turns slightly sweet and does not make you cry. If you are using white or sweet red onion, scalding is not necessary.
Put the grated carrots, chopped crab sticks, chopped nuts, garlic and onion into a deep bowl. Add salt (about ½ tsp, but taste as you go – carrots vary in sweetness) and a pinch of black pepper. If you like, add your favourite seasonings: dried dill, paprika or Italian herbs. Gently stir everything from the bottom up so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Dress the salad with mayonnaise (3–4 tbsp, about 75–100 g) and mix thoroughly – the mayonnaise should coat every piece, creating a uniform mass of that characteristic orange colour. If you prefer a lighter dressing, replace half of the mayonnaise with sour cream or natural yoghurt. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Salad 'Ryzhik' is ready! For a richer flavour, let it rest in the fridge for 15–20 minutes.
For a festive presentation I use a culinary ring 8–10 cm in diameter: set it on a plate, spoon the salad inside, lightly press it down with a spoon and carefully lift off the ring – you get a perfect shape. Garnish with a sprig of parsley, half a walnut or thin strips of crab stick.
FAQ
Can the crab sticks be replaced? +
Yes, boiled chicken breast (150 g), smoked chicken or even cooked prawns will work. The flavour will be different, but still excellent. For a vegetarian version, use boiled chickpeas or canned white beans.
What can replace the mayonnaise? +
Use 20% sour cream or natural yoghurt with a pinch of salt and some lemon juice. The salad will be lighter and less calorific, but the texture will be slightly different. You can also mix mayonnaise and sour cream in a 1:1 ratio.
Can I add Korean-style carrots? +
Yes, replace half or all of the raw carrots with Korean-style carrots – the salad will be more piquant and spicy. In that case, reduce the amount of garlic and do not add salt, as Korean carrots are already quite salty and aromatic.
How long does the finished salad keep? +
In the fridge in a sealed container, up to 24 hours. The next day the salad will be even tastier – the carrots will be fully soaked in the dressing. But if the onion was not scalded, eat the salad on the day it is made.
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