Russian Recipes

This potato salad—flavored with crabmeat, salmon caviar, and garlic-laced mayonnaise—was created by Tom Hudgins when he lived in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

Blini are traditionally made with buckwheat flour but our recipe uses white flour for a lighter result. See the recipe for Caviar with Blinis»

Salmon has been a pillar of Russian cuisine for centuries. In lean times, all parts of the fish went into the soup, say Glenn R. Mack and Asele Surina in their book Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia. But in “more prosperous times [they] were strained out to make a clear broth”. Get the recipe for Ukha Soup»

The recipe for these savory pickles is based on one that appears in Pickled: Preserving a World of Tastes and Traditions by Lucy Norris (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2003). See the recipe for Russian Pickled Watermelon »

Impress your guests with a show-stopping layer cake stuffed with a luscious custard filling and topped with meringue frosting.

This recipe is based on one in Please to the Table (Workman, 1990) by Anya von Bremzen. A clean, one-quart clay flowerpot can be used in lieu of the paskha mold. This recipe was published in our April 2010 issue with Anna Stockwell’s article Easter Sweets. See the recipe for Russian-Style Farmers’ Cheese »

These quick pickles will improve as they sit; make them ahead and keep them in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Bourbon lends warmth to this tea-based cocktail.

Dill and dijon mustard add tang to Russian egg and mushroom salad, which is delicious on sourdough rye.

Filled with a moist, sweet poppy seed paste, this rustic yeast-dough roulade is a comfort food eaten throughout Eastern and Central Europe.

The recipe for this classic Russian Jewish dish of sauteed onions tossed with pasta and buckwheat groats comes from Philip Lopate

Eaten hot or cold, vegetarian or with shreds of beef, enriched with a dollop of sour cream and wisps of dill, this beet-based soup is the quintessence of good Eastern European cooking. Get the recipe for Classic Borscht»

A mix of fresh and cured beef and pork gives this classic sweet and sour soup heft. This recipe first appeared in our March 2013 issue, along with Leah Koenig’s article Purifying Pleasures. Get the recipe for Russian Sweet and Sour Beef Soup (Solyanka) »

Home cook Yelena Bachko gave us the recipe for these tangy, tender pancakes, made with tvorog (a type of quark).

Robust lamb and onion kebabs steeped in a tenderizing seltzer and vinegar marinade are paired with a sauce of tomatoes, prunes, and herbs in this traditional Russian dish. Get the recipe for Russian Lamb Kebabs with Tomato-Prune Sauce (Shashlik) »