Mimosa salad is a popular Eastern European layered salad made with canned tuna, boiled carrots, potatoes, eggs, and mayo. Great as an appetizer or a light meal.
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About mimosa salad
This tuna and egg layered salad is popular in Ukraine and other Eastern Europe countries. When I lived in Ukraine, my aunt would always make this salad for family gatherings, special occasions, or holidays.
The salad is called mimosa because a finely grated egg yolk on top makes the salad look like mimosa flowers.
Although my favorite Ukrainian salad has always been Shuba salad (herring under a fur coat), mimosa is also very tasty and I still make it quite often.
This festive salad is very affordable and easy to make. The layers are made with tuna mixed with mayo, grated boiled potatoes, carrots, egg whites, and egg yolks.
Next time you need to bring a potato or egg salad for a potluck, make the mimosa salad. Everyone will love the bright look of the dish and the delicate taste.
Ingredients
Below is the list of simple ingredients. You can find the quantities for a medium size salad (4-6 servings) in the recipe card below.
Canned tuna – I used tuna in olive oil because it has more flavor. You can use tuna in water. If you do not have tuna, use canned salmon or even sardines.
Onion – just a little bit of yellow or red onion for the taste. If you do not like raw onions, you can simply skip the ingredient.
Root vegetables – you will need potatoes and carrots.
Eggs – hard-boiled eggs.
Mayonnaise – you can use light or full-fat (preferred) mayo.
Salt and pepper – add it by taste to the vegetable layers and tuna (if it is low sodium).
Equipment
Serving dish – I used a shallow dish that is about 8 inches wide and has tall sides. You can also make it in a glass bowl or use a small springform pan to create the layers.
Box grater – I used 4 sided box grater because you will need coarse shred and medium or small shred. For the small shred needed for the yolk’s last layer, you can also use a cheese grater.
Mimosa salad recipe
Below are the step-by-step directions with the images on how to make this recipe.
Boil the ingredients
First, boil carrots and potatoes. Wash the vegetables and place them in a large pot filled with water. Do not peel them yet. Boil for about 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.
Carrots usually are cooked in about 20 minutes, so I take them out earlier. Whole potatoes will take up to 30-40 minutes, depending on the size.
Check by inserting the fork or a butter knife, if there is no resistance the potatoes are cooked.
Remove the vegetables from hot water and let them cool down. Once the carrots and potatoes cool down, peel them.
At the same time, but in a medium pot, boil the eggs. I boil them for 12 minutes to make sure they are hard-boiled. The egg yolks need to be firm.
After they are boiled, place them under cold running water to cool down. Once cold, peel them and separate the whites from the yolks.
Make the layers
Now, add both cans of tuna, chopped onion and a tablespoon of mayonnaise to the small bowl. Add some black pepper and salt (if using salt-free fish). Mix everything well with a fork.
Start making layers. You can do them in any order, just make sure the top layer is the yolks. But I always recommend starting with the potatoes, because they have the best density and will hold the rest of the layers.
Grate potatoes using a coarse shred side. Distribute them evenly at the bottom of the dish, sprinkle a pinch of salt all over the potatoes, and press them gently with a fork or a spoon.
Now, add a layer of tuna fish and mayo.
Grate carrots using a coarse shred side and spread them evenly on top of the tuna. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt.
Use a finer shred side, and grate the egg whites on top.
Spread a layer of mayo on top of the egg whites. I like to use a fork to do so.
I also added the leftovers of potatoes to the egg whites layer because I boiled too many.
And the last layer, that makes the salad look like a mimosa flour – egg yolk. Make sure to use a fine grater or a cheese grater.
I grate them straight onto the top of the salad, distributing the grated yolk evenly all over the mayo layer.
Serve the salad right away or chill it in the fridge for a few hours (recommended).
Expert Tips
- If you boil the vegetables the night before, the next day you will save a lot of time.
- Make sure the eggs are hard-boiled as the firm yolk is important to create the yellow Mimosa like top.
- Use a fine shred for the eggs and a coarse shred for the vegetables.
- The layers (except for the yolk) can be in any order, but I recommend having potatoes as the first layer so the salad holds up better.
Make ahead
You can make this salad the night before and serve it the next day. You can also boil the vegetables and eggs the night before and store them in the fridge until you assemble the salad the next day.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Other Ukrainian salads to try
📖 Recipe
Mimosa Salad (Layered Tuna and Egg Salad)
Equipment
- 1 Box grater you will need fine and coarse shred
- 1 shallow dish or glass bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna in oil or water, drained
- ¼ yellow onion, diced
- 4 potatoes
- 3 carrots
- 5 eggs
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot boil carrots and potatoes for about 20-30 minutes or until fork tender, without peeling them. Remove the cooked vegetables from the water and let the cool down, then peel them.
- In a smaller pot boil the eggs for about 12 minutes. Cool them under cold running water, then peel and separate the whites from the yolks.
- In a small bowl combine both cans of tuna, chopped onion, and 1 Tablespoon of mayonnaise, black pepper and salt to taste. Mix well with a fork.
- Begin with coarsely grating a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a shallow dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and press gently with a fork or a spoon.
- Add a layer of the tuna and mayo mixture.
- Grate the carrots coarsely on top of the tuna layer. You can also sprinkle the carrots with a little salt.
- Grate the egg whites using a finer shred side and spread them as the next layer. Spread a layer of mayo on top of the egg whites.
- And lastly, grate the egg yolks using a fine grater over the mayo layer, and distributing them evenly. Serve the salad right away or chill it in the fridge.
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