Salads with Meat

The "Snow Queen" salad is a light, delicate Russian holiday salad with a white-and-blue color palette that earns it its frosty name. The fillings are classic for a crab stick salad: imitation crab sticks, boiled rice, hard-boiled eggs, grated cheese and green peas, all bound together with mayonnaise. The result is airy and tender, with a fresh note from cucumber and peas — perfect for a summer dinner or as a lighter alternative to the heavier layered Russian salads on a holiday table. Serve in individual cups for a pretty presentation or as a single bowl decorated with fresh herbs. Classic proportions for 4-6 servings inside.

Bean salad with croutons and smoked sausage is one of the most popular Russian "student-style" recipes — it comes together in just 15 minutes from affordable, easy-to-find ingredients and turns out surprisingly tasty, filling and eye-catching. The main components are canned beans (red or white), smoked sausage, spicy Korean-style carrots and crunchy bacon- or cheese-flavored croutons, which go in only at the very end so they don't get soggy. Drain the beans, cut the sausage into matchsticks, toss everything with the Korean carrots and dress with mayonnaise. Add the croutons just before serving. The result is a bright, savory and very filling salad — a great option for a fast dinner or for a big gathering. Proportions for 4 servings inside.

Tbilisi salad is a bright and hearty Georgian salad with bold Caucasus flavor — tender boiled beef, red kidney beans, sweet bell pepper, pickled onion, walnuts and plenty of fresh cilantro and parsley. Unlike Russian-style mayonnaise salads, this one is dressed with oil and pomegranate juice or wine vinegar with a pinch of khmeli-suneli for that signature Georgian accent. The result is a vivid, fragrant, mildly spicy dish that works equally well as an everyday lunch or as a more substantial dish for a celebration. Serve warm or chilled — both ways are equally delicious. Classic proportions for 4-6 servings inside.