Russian Salad
Diced potatoes, carrots, peas and tangy cornichons in a creamy mayonnaise dressing.
The Turkish pantry
Mayonnaise
Regular mayonnaise binds the cooled vegetables in Russian salad. Use a commercial product made with pasteurized egg, fold it in gently and keep the finished salad chilled.
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Commercial, regular full-fat mayonnaise made with pasteurized egg. Light mayonnaise, egg-free dressing and homemade raw-egg mayonnaise are separate products.
Types & forms
Regular mayonnaise
A thick oil-and-egg dressing; the reference nutrition describes this full-fat form.
Light or egg-free dressing
Different recipes and composition; do not assume the same texture or nutrition.
What to look for when buying
- Check the label for pasteurized egg and the required regular mayonnaise form. Read allergen information for the actual product.
- Choose a sealed pack and follow its storage instructions before and after opening. Discard damaged or leaking containers.
Prepare & cook
- Let the cooked vegetables cool safely before adding mayonnaise, then fold rather than mash them. Use clean utensils.
- Mayonnaise does not make a mixed vegetable salad safe to leave warm. Keep the finished salad refrigerated until serving.
Store it well
- After opening, refrigerate as the manufacturer directs and use a clean spoon each time. Do not return served dressing to the jar.
- Refrigerate the finished salad within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Follow the linked recipe’s leftover instructions; do not rely on the mayonnaise jar’s date for the whole salad.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Light mayonnaise
May make a looser dressing; it has a different nutrient profile. Use only if that change suits the recipe.
Homemade mayonnaise
Requires its own safe recipe using pasteurized egg; raw shell-egg mayonnaise is not the specified substitute.
Nutrition
Regular full-fat mayonnaise [1]
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 680 kcal |
| Protein | 0.96 g |
| Total fat | 74.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 11.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.57 g |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g |
| Total sugars | 0.57 g |
| Sodium | 635 mg |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Calcium | 8 mg |
| Iron | 0.21 mg |
| Potassium | 20 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0.2 µg |
USDA reference per 100 g of regular full-fat mayonnaise. Not light, egg-free or homemade mayonnaise. Brand formulations vary; check the actual product label. Values are rounded for readability; “not reported” does not mean zero. A “<” value is below the source’s measurement limit.
Nutrition values come from the reference source named above. They are published reference values, not our own measurements. Actual products and cooking methods may change the values.
At the Turkish table
Rus Salatası uses mayonnaise to hold the small cooked vegetables together. The vegetables should remain recognizable pieces rather than turning into a mashed filling.
Cook with Mayonnaise
Loaded Baked Potato
A large baked potato mashed inside its skin with butter and kaşar cheese, then topped with corn, olives, cornichons, mayonnaise and ketchup—an Ortaköy favorite.
Toasted Deli-Meat Sandwich
A generous Turkish street-food sandwich with pan-cooked sucuk, beef bologna and frankfurters, melted kaşar, tomato and cornichons in a lightly toasted roll.
Yumurtalı Yengen
A hot büfe sandwich with a ring-cooked egg, melted cheese and pickles. Inspired by our editor’s childhood memories of eating yengen at Antalya Spor Büfesi, this version features a round bun, grilled sucuk and sosis, melted kaşar, and an egg cooked in a metal ring.