How to clean leeks, it’s easy! Here are instructions on how to clean leeks two ways – chopped for soup and for whole leeks.
Look at the leek.
It’s majestic, a titan in the onion family.
Leeks are dirty
The challenge of cooking with leeks is that they’re almost always dirty. When leeks are grown, earth is piled up around them so that more leeks are hidden from the sun and therefore become lighter and more tender.
What creates a beautiful leek, a long, light-colored body, also causes sand and dirt to become lodged deep inside the leek.
Two ways to clean leeks
There are basically two ways to clean leeks, the method you use depends on how you will be using the leeks in cooking. The easiest way is to prepare them chopped for use in a soup.
It is slightly more difficult to prepare leeks for use in a recipe that calls for whole leeks. Both methods are described in detail here.
Do you have leeks? Here are some great recipes to use them with:
- Potato-Leek Soup
- Leek vinaigrette
- Colcannon Soup
- Foil-baked salmon with leeks and peppers
1:06
Watch This Leek Recipe
How to clean leeks
Choose leeks that are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and have a long white to pale green stem. The pale parts are the most useful.
ingredients
-
Fresh Leek
method
Rinse the leek
Before beginning either method, rinse the leeks under water to remove any visible dirt or sand.
Prepare leeks for soup
-
Cut off the roots of the leek. Slice the leek lengthways.
-
Make cross cuts:
Decide how much leek greens you want to use. They are tougher and can taste stronger, but will soften with long cooking.
The last few inches of dark green ends should probably be discarded or saved for stock making. (I put mine in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer.)
Cut the parts of the leeks that you want to use crosswise.
-
Rinse in a bowl of cold water:
Place the chopped leeks in a bowl and fill with cold water. (If the leeks are particularly dirty, rinse them first in a colander before covering them with water.) Use your hands to move the leeks and remove any dirt or sand that may be stuck to them.
Remove the leeks from the water with a sieve or slotted spoon and place in a new bowl.
Cleaning and preparing whole leeks
-
Cut from the opening to the ends of the greens:
Place leeks on a cutting board. Insert the tip of a sharp knife into the leeks about 1/4 inch below the bottom opening.
Cut straight through, up to and through the green ends of the leeks, leaving the light part of the leeks whole.
-
Wash:
Fan the leeks and hold them under cold running water. Rinse off any dirt or sand. If the leeks are particularly dirty, you can make another similar cut through the leeks to further fan the leeks.
-
Cut off dark green tips:
Cut off the dark green tips of the leek, leaving as much of the dark green on the body of the leek as you like. We like the flavor (it’s basically just a big onion green) so we usually keep about 2 to 3 inches of the dark green part containing the body of the leek.
Discard or save the dark greens to flavor soups or stews, or use to make broth.
-
Cutting off the root end of the leek:
Stay as close to the roots as possible. Slicing close to the roots will keep the leeks together when cooked whole.
Links:
Preparing Leek by David Lebovitz
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 6 | calories |
| 0g | Fat |
| 2g | carbohydrates |
| 0g | protein |
