This leeks salad is a very simple and super easy recipe that will help you eat more leeks! A delicious traditional French salad that happens to be good for gut health.
This recipe is a real French classic "entrée" (starter). Leeks in French are called "poireaux". So this dish is called "poireaux vinaigrette". It is part of the “bistro cuisine”.
So if you ever come to France, you will often see "poireaux vinaigrette" on a bistro restaurant menu.
Leeks nutrition
But why should you eat more leeks (well, of course, unless you are allergic to them)? Leeks are part of the top 10 prebiotic foods.
Never heard of prebiotics before? Prebiotics feed your probiotics. The two work together to create balance in your gut and enhance your digestion.
Basically, prebiotic foods feed your good gut bacteria. Fortunately, it’s easy to add them to your daily diet, for example with this delicious leeks salad recipe.
Ingredients for this salad
- leek
- extra virgin olive oil
- apple cider vinegar
- sea salt (or flower of salt)
How to make this salad
How to cut leeks for this recipe
Prepare the leek by removing any roots. You want to use only the more tender light green and white parts (The dark green tops that are tough can be used to flavor stocks). Cut the leek in half and slice it lengthwise (as on the picture below).
How to cook leeks
- Wash thoroughly the cut leek, making sure to remove any soil between leaves.
- Place in your steamer. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender (time will vary according to thickness).
- Once the leek is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool down until it reaches room temperature. Then add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt. Mix well. And voilà! Serve cold or at room temperature. Bon appétit!
How to store this salad
You can store this salad in an air tight container for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Other recipe you might like
If you are looking for more recipes using leeks you can check my pot au feu (French beef stew) recipe that comes with its own delicious bone broth (another thing to help healing your gut).
French Leeks Salad
Ingredients
- 1 leek
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Pinch of fleur de sel (flower of salt) or sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare your leek by removing any roots. You want to use only the more tender light green and white parts (The dark green tops that are tough can be used to flavor stocks). Cut the leek in half and slice it lengthwise.
- Wash thoroughly the cut leek, making sure to remove any soil between leaves.
- Place in your steamer.Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender (time will vary according to thickness).
- Once the leek is cooked, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool down until it reaches room temperature. Then add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt. Mix well. And voilà! Serve cold or at room temperature. Bon appétit!
Saskia
I never would have thought of serving cooked leeks cold as a salad! It's funny how something that is common or traditional in one country can seem so unusual from another, and I'm only across the channel from you! I will definitely have to try this sometime, although I might wait til the weather warms up, it definitely seems more like a warm leek time of year at the moment!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Saskia. This reminds me of my very first trip across the channel when I was 11 years old and I discovered mint sauce. I had already eaten tons of mint but never in a sauce to go with meat. It was so intriguing!!! I found it so delicious I didn't understand why we didn't have this in France! Well I guess it's the beauty of culture differences. ❤️