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Spanish · Basque Country

Porrusalda: Basque leek and potato soup

The Basque leek and potato soup — as simple and defined as any preparation in the Basque Country. Porrusalda (from Basque porra — leek, salda — broth) is made from leeks, potato, and occasionally carrot and bacalao, cooked in water or a light chicken stock until the potato has partially dissolved and the leek has surrendered its sweetness into the broth. Nothing else. The result is a pale, gently flavoured, deeply comforting soup that demonstrates the Basque principle that a single excellent ingredient, properly cooked, requires no embellishment. Porrusalda with bacalao (porrusalda con bacalao) adds shredded desalted salt cod in the final 5 minutes — transforming a simple vegetable soup into a complete main course.

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ServesFour portions
Sourced1of 6 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

leeks
white and pale green parts only, cleaned and sliced
Your own market
potato
peeled and diced 1 cm
Origin · FranceLekker · Vancouver →
olive oil
Your own market
water or light chicken stock
Your own market
salt
Your own market
For the bacalao version (optional)
salt cod (bacalao)
desalted and shredded; soaking liquid reserved
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Warm a generous measure of olive oil in a heavy pot over low-to-medium heat. Add the sliced leeks — white and pale green parts only; discard the dark green tops entirely. Sweat, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes until completely soft, translucent, and almost melting. The leeks must yield no resistance and carry no raw edge.
2
Add the diced potato and pour over the water or light stock (for the bacalao version, use the soaking liquid in place of or alongside the water). Season with salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the potato is fully tender and beginning to break down at its edges, thickening the broth slightly.
3
If making the bacalao version, remove the pot from direct heat. Add the desalted shredded salt cod and leave to finish in 5 minutes of residual heat. The cod should be just set — opaque throughout and barely fibrous.
4
Taste and correct the salt. Ladle into warm bowls. Finish each portion with a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve with a slice of warm Idiazábal alongside.
III

Quality Hierarchy

01
Reserve — Leeks from a known grower, pulled young and slender; a hand-desalted whole loin of bacalao soaked over 48 hours; the soaking liquid used as the entire cooking medium; olive oil of marked provenance; Idiazábal from a small dairy, served warm.
02
Estate — Good market leeks, trimmed carefully; a reliable brand of desalted bacalao; a light, well-made home chicken stock; a single-origin olive oil; Idiazábal from a specialist cheesemonger.
03
Market — Supermarket leeks cleaned and sliced the same day; pre-shredded desalted bacalao; water as the cooking liquid; a decent everyday olive oil; Idiazábal from a delicatessen.
04
House — Any leeks with dark tops removed; the plain vegetable version without bacalao; water only; olive oil of ordinary grade. The soup remains honest so long as the leeks are sweated fully and seasoning stays restrained.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Touch. A leek slice pressed between the fingers offers no resistance and collapses — the signal to add the liquid.
◇Sight. The potato cubes have softened at their edges and the broth has taken on a faint, cloudy body from partial dissolution.
◇Smell. The soup smells of sweet cooked allium with no sharpness — a clean, pale, quiet aroma.
◇Sight. In the bacalao version, the shredded cod turns from translucent to fully opaque after 5 minutes off the heat.
◇Where it lives or dies. The leek must be sweated over low heat for the full 15–20 minutes until completely soft and melting before any liquid is added; a rushed leek produces a harsh, raw-tasting soup that no amount of subsequent cooking will correct.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Gonzalez Byass Tio Pepe Fino
Gonzalez Byass · Jerez DO
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Lekker
Vancouver · potato
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