🇪🇸 Spain · Basque Country and Navarre
PorrusaldaBasque leek and potato soup
A rustic Basque soup whose name means leek broth: leeks and potatoes (often with carrot) gently simmered in water or fish stock, frequently with salt cod added.
Origin and history
Porrusalda is a traditional dish of Basque home cooking, and is also found in Navarre. Its name means leek broth. A humble pot of leeks and potatoes from the vegetable garden, it spread across Spain and is especially eaten in Lent and Holy Week, when salt cod is added.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Total time
- 50 min
- Hands-on
- 20 min
Ingredients
- 400 g14 oz leeks, 2 large; white and light green parts, cleaned and sliced
- 400 g14 oz potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 cm (3/4 in) chunks
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; optional
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1.2 litres5 cups fish, vegetable or light chicken stock, or water
- 250 g9 oz bacalao (salt cod), soaked and desalted for 36 to 48 hours in several changes of water, then cut in bite-size pieces; optional
- salt, to taste, little if using cod
- fresh parsley, chopped, optional
Method
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1. Warm the olive oil in a wide pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion (and garlic) with a pinch of salt and cook gently for about 8 minutes, until soft and not coloured.
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2. Add the leeks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, stirring, until they wilt.
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3. Add the carrots and potatoes, stir to coat them in the oil, and cover with the stock.
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4. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and break when pressed.
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5. Add the desalted cod and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until it flakes.
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6. Taste and adjust the salt, scatter parsley over the top and serve hot in deep plates with good bread.
Notes
- The name means leek broth in Basque (porru, leek; salda, broth). It is spelled purrusalda in some places.
- It is a brothy, rustic soup eaten with a spoon, not a cream of leek. For a thicker result, crush a few potato chunks against the side of the pot; for a lighter one, keep the broth clear.
- Salt cod is the classic addition and the version most associated with Lent and Holy Week, but it is optional: the base is leek and potato. Hake or monkfish can replace the cod, and some households add pumpkin, a ham bone or pork products.
- If you use dried cod, check the water it was soaked in; cod that is still salty will oversalt the soup.
- It can be made a day ahead and reheated gently; it does not freeze well.
Adapted from Porrusalda vasca, Directo al Paladar and Receta de porrusalda de bacalao, Público.
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.