Krabovyi Salat (крабовий салат, crab-stick salad)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A medium saucepan for the rice
• •A small saucepan for the eggs
• •A large mixing bowl
• •A sharp knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the rice

   Rinse the rice until the water runs mostly clear, then cook it in salted water until the grains are tender but still separate. Drain it well and spread it on a tray or wide plate to cool. You want loose grains, not porridge; the salad needs little pockets for the mayonnaise and corn to sit in.

   The rice must be cold before dressing. Warm rice drinks mayonnaise greedily and turns the salad dull and heavy.
2. 2

   Boil the eggs

   Put the eggs in cold water, bring to a steady boil, then cook until the yolks are set and sunny, not grey at the edge. Cool them under cold water, peel, and dice. If the shell fights you, don't make a tragedy of it; chopped egg is forgiving.

3. 3

   Cut the salad

   Dice the crab sticks about the size of the corn kernels, then add them to a big bowl with the cooled rice, eggs, drained corn, cucumber, spring onions, and most of the dill. Keep the pieces small and even enough that one spoonful tastes like the whole salad, not just one bossy ingredient.

4. 4

   Dress gently

   Stir the mayonnaise with the smetana and mustard if using, then fold it through the salad. Fold, don't mash. The bowl should look glossy and lightly bound, with the pink sticks and yellow corn still bright through the dressing.

5. 5

   Season and chill

   Taste for salt, pepper, and a tiny squeeze of lemon if it needs lifting. Cover and chill until the flavors settle and the salad feels properly cold on the spoon. Before serving, loosen with another spoon of mayonnaise if the rice has tightened, then finish with the remaining dill.

Chef Tips

• •Use crab sticks you actually like eating cold. This is not the place for the cheapest packet with a rubber smell; the salad has nowhere to hide it.
• •Drain the corn properly. A wet can makes the mayonnaise slide off and leaves sweet liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
• •Cucumber is a bit more modern and I like it, especially for summer potlucks. For a stricter 90s holiday bowl, leave it out and let the rice, egg, corn, and sticks do the work.
• •Dill belongs here. Parsley makes it taste like someone got lost on the way to another kitchen.
• •If you make it ahead, add half the dill before chilling and half just before serving. The first half seasons the salad, the second keeps it green.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the rice and eggs up to a day ahead and chill them separately.
• •The dressed salad is best after at least 1 hour in the fridge and keeps well for 2 days, though the cucumber softens as it sits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 200g)