Name: Krompir salata
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6 side portions
Cuisine: Serbian cuisine
Ingredients: 800 g waxy potatoes, scrubbed, cooked in their skins; 250 g onion, thinly sliced; 80 ml sunflower oil; 80 ml wine vinegar, 5% acidity; 50 ml water; 8 g salt; 2 g black pepper

Yield 6 side portions

Preparation time 15 minutes

Cooking time 25 minutes

Passive time 60 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Serbian potato salad with onion, vinegar and sunflower oil

Krompir salata in its lean Serbian form is not a mayonnaise salad. The essential relationship is potato, a generous amount of onion, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. That makes it particularly suitable beside fish or rich roasted foods because the acid cuts through fat without adding another creamy element. The formula is deliberately spare, so potato variety and timing determine whether the salad is cleanly sliced or collapses into mash.

Waxy potatoes are cooked in their skins to limit water absorption and help the flesh hold its shape. The knife test is more useful than a rigid clock: the blade should enter the centre easily, but the skins should not be split open across most of the surface. After draining, the potatoes cool only until they can be handled. They are peeled and sliced while still faintly warm, which helps the dressing season the interior rather than merely coat a cold surface.

Onion is not a garnish here. Thin slices are layered through the potatoes so every portion receives both sharpness and texture. The dressing combines sunflower oil, wine vinegar and a small amount of water. It is poured across the layers rather than vigorously tossed through hot potato. That preserves the slices and distributes the dressing without breaking the starch into a paste.

A forty-minute refrigerator rest is part of the method. It cools the salad to 4 °C or below and gives the potato time to absorb some dressing. The finished salad should remain moist, with vinegar clearly present but not pooling at the bottom. This version contains no egg or mayonnaise, but it is still cooked food and is not meant for extended warm holding; after preparation it stays refrigerated and should be discarded if left at room temperature for more than two hours.

Practical

ControlChoose waxy potatoes and stop cooking before the skins split widely; intact slices absorb dressing without turning to mash.
ControlDress the potatoes while faintly warm so the vinegar and salt season the interior rather than only the surface.

Ingredients

800 g waxy potatoes, scrubbed, cooked in their skins
250 g onion, thinly sliced
80 ml sunflower oil
80 ml wine vinegar, 5% acidity
50 ml water
8 g salt
2 g black pepper

Directions

Cook potatoes

Boil the potatoesCover the scrubbed potatoes with water and simmer in their skins until tender but not splitting. The potatoes are ready when a thin knife enters the centre easily but the skins have not burst widely and the flesh still holds together.
Cool and peelDrain and cool the potatoes just until they can be handled safely, then peel them. The potatoes are ready to slice when they are still faintly warm but firm enough to cut into clean rounds.

Dress and chill

Slice and seasonSlice the potatoes and onion, then layer them with the measured salt and pepper. The salad is ready for dressing when the potato slices stay intact and the onion is spread between layers rather than clumped in one place.
Dress the saladWhisk the oil, vinegar and water and pour evenly over the warm potato-onion layers. The salad is evenly dressed when the liquid reaches the bottom of the bowl and every layer has a light sheen without pooling oil on top.
Chill before servingCover and refrigerate before serving. The salad is ready when it is chilled throughout and the potato has absorbed part of the sharp dressing without becoming dry. Target 4 °C or below.

Practical

Practical guidance

Layering is gentler than repeated tossing. Before serving, turn the salad once or twice with a broad spoon to redistribute dressing from the bottom, then return leftovers promptly to refrigeration.

Control points

Potatoes crumble during mixingGuidance: They were overcooked or stirred repeatedly while very hot.Adjustment: Use waxy potatoes, stop at knife-tender and layer rather than aggressively toss.
Salad tastes sharply acidic on the surfaceGuidance: It was dressed only after the potatoes became fully cold.Adjustment: Apply the measured dressing while the slices are still faintly warm, then chill.

Nutrition

Serving sizeabout 220 g
Calories245 kcal
Carbohydrates30 g
Protein4 g
Fat13 g
Fibre4 g
Sodium535 mg

Figures are approximate and vary with ingredient brands, trimming, liquid retention and portioning.

Allergens and food safety

Allergens: No major regulated allergens in the base formula. Refrigerate the finished salad at 4 °C or below and do not recommend warm holding. Discard if held at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

FAQ

Is mayonnaise part of Serbian krompir salata?

Not in this selected style. Mayonnaise versions exist, but the vinegar-oil-onion version is a distinct and widely used form.

Should the potatoes be completely cold before dressing?

No. Dressing while they are faintly warm helps the vinegar and salt penetrate without requiring aggressive mixing.

Result: Firm potato slices and plenty of onion in a bright, clean vinegar-and-oil dressing.

Key: Cook the potato only to knife-tender and dress while it is still faintly warm; those two timing decisions protect both texture and seasoning.