Traditional gastronomy gives us timeless dishes that are very humble but tremendously tasty and comforting, such as the popular porrusalda, typical of Basque cuisine and today extended to many other regions of Spain. It is literally a “leek broth” that usually contains potatoes and which, depending on the area or custom, can also include cod and other vegetables, including pork products.
I love the porrusalda because it gives the leek all the prominence of a spoon dish that feels good all year round, although it must be recognized that it is enjoyed much more in the cold months. Looking ahead to Lent and Easter we can recover it in its version with codand if we have picky eaters at home, I advise you to try turning it into a cream or puree: it is always a delight.
also called purrusalda In some places, this dish is still one of the best known in Basque gastronomy, but it has long conquered kitchens throughout the country, with its variants. We can play with the proportions of the ingredients or add other vegetables to give it more color and flavor. Carrot and pumpkin are good options to break the color monotony and give it a sweeter touch.
The final consistency can also be adjusted to taste, leaving a cleaner broth or crushing or mashing part of the potatoes to have a thicker spoon dish. If we use homemade broth -vegetable, fish or chicken, if we don’t use cod- we will obviously get a dish with much more flavor and aroma. It is one of those dishes that almost every family has in its own recipe book with its own special touch.
Wash the carrots, potatoes and leeks very well, separating the greenest part and reserving it for another preparation. Cut into 1-2 centimeter pieces, to taste. Finely chop the onion, peel the potatoes and carrots, and cut these into slices or half moons.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot or pan and poach the onion with a pinch of salt, until it is tender. Add the leek and fry well for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and the cascaded potatoes, season and cover with the broth. We can not throw it all at once to correct the point of liquid to taste towards the end.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the potatoes are cooked, about 25 minutes. Add the cleaned cod into bite-size pieces and cook the whole for a few more minutes, tossing in a little finely chopped fresh parsley if desired.
With what to accompany the porrusalda
A good one porrusalda with cod It is served hot in a deep dish, with quality bread with a good crumb to dip and scrape at the end. In this version with potato and cod we have a very complete dish, which served in generous portions forms a more than satisfactory meal. In a more complete menu it could easily fit as a first course. It can be prepared from one day to the next, but nothing to freeze it.
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