I never appreciated leeks as a vegetable — as opposed to an aromatic — until I ate them with vinaigrette in Paris on my college year abroad.
At a tiny cafe that was halfway between my studio apartment near Porte Saint-Martin and my best friend’s seventh-floor walk-up near the Seine, the two of us spent our evenings drinking carafes of red wine and working our way through the very classic menu: cheesy croque-madames, herby escargot, oeuf mayonnaise.
The leeks vinaigrette was the biggest surprise. The gentle leeks looked plain on the plate — pale, monochrome, unadorned by any herbs or garnishes — but they hit us right between the eyes. They were coated in a vinaigrette with so much spicy Dijon it made our sinuses burn; we couldn’t get enough. So, we added even more from the mustard pot on the table, then wiped up the oily slicks with torn bits of baguette. It gave us fortitude for the long walk home through the cold Paris night.
Back in New York, I tried to make leeks vinaigrette with as much sharpness and vim, but it was hard to match the flavor. The mustard I could get didn’t have the same piercing bite.
Instead, to mimic that play of pungent and mild, I began pairing silky leeks with other zippy condiments and sauces. Salsa verde, with its mix of citrus, minced herbs and plenty of raw garlic, was a perfect partner, balancing the sweetness of the leeks with a bracing tanginess. Leeks salsa verde became a staple in my kitchen, a lively alternative to leeks vinaigrette.
In this more substantial variation, the leeks and salsa verde are rounded out with quick-cooking fish fillets.
I particularly like the mellowness of white fillets like cod, halibut or hake here, as they can really soak up the complexity and brightness of the salsa verde. But salmon or tuna would also work, lending more richness to the mix.
To make this as weeknight friendly as possible, I roast the fish and leeks together in one pan. As they cook, the leeks closest to the fillets absorb their liquid, turning soft and plush while the ones near the edges of the pan get pleasingly brown and crisp in spots.
Topped with an olive-spiked salsa verde, it’s a dish both mellow and robust, where those sweet, overwintered leeks of spring can really shine.
