Porrusalda
Photo: La.blasco · CC BY 2.0

History

Porrusalda (leek broth in Basque) is a centuries-old farmhouse soup of inland Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa. The fish-cod variant uses Friday's salt-cod water; the chicken variant is the everyday one. Casa Rufo runs a serious version with bacalao; Sorginzulo, Cafe Iruna and Andra Mari all keep porrusalda on the winter menu.

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Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 25 minTotal 1 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 6 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced 1cm thick
  • 800g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into rough 3cm chunks
  • 1 medium carrot, sliced (optional)
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1.8 litres chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 200g desalted salt cod (bacalao), torn into chunks (optional)
  • 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Country bread and good olive oil, to serve

Method

  1. Wash the sliced leeks thoroughly in cold water, drain.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook 6 minutes until translucent.
  3. Add the sliced leeks and carrot. Sweat covered for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the leeks are sweet and silky. Do not brown.
  4. Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika; cook 1 minute.
  5. Add the potato chunks, bay leaf and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook 25 minutes.
  6. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon to thicken the broth.
  7. If using bacalao, add it now and simmer 4 minutes; it cooks through quickly.
  8. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Discard the bay leaf.
  9. Ladle into deep bowls. Scatter with parsley and finish with a generous glug of raw olive oil.
  10. Serve with thick slices of country bread for dunking.

Tip from the editors. Mash some potatoes into the broth; the broken starch is what gives porrusalda its silken texture without cream. Desalt bacalao 24 hours, three water changes.

Where to eat porrusalda

Porrusalda in Bilbao

Casa Rufo ★ 4.5

€€€ Basque GrillAbando

Casa Rufo on Hurtado de Amezaga in Bilbao since 1955 grills the canonical Bilbao txuleta over open flame, between deli counter and dining room.

OrderThe txuleta from the grill; the bacalao al pil pil as the starter.

TipLunch 13:30-16:00, dinner 20:30-23:00; closed Sundays. The deli counter is worth a look.

Directions Book

Sorginzulo ★ 4.4

€ Spanish tapas

Sorginzulo on Plaza Nueva in Bilbao makes a 2023 Spanish Tortilla Championship finalist with Euskaber eggs, plus traditional Basque pintxos.

TryTortilla de patata pintxo

Directions

Cafe Iruna ★ 4.4

€€ BasqueUntil Daily until 23:30

Cafe Iruna on Jardines de Albia in Bilbao opened in 1903, with 300 square metres of Mudejar tiles and pinchos morunos at the corner charcoal grill.

TryPinchos morunos, traditional Basque pintxos

Directions

Andra Mari 1 ★ ★ 4.4

€€€€ Tasting €65-110Basque

Andra Mari in Galdakao near Bilbao holds one Michelin star for traditional-Basque cooking with valley views, a family-run gastronomic farmhouse.

Book1-2 weeks ahead

Directions Book

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