Travis Lett

Fermented Leeks

Preparation info
  • Makes

    2½ cups

    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
top 1000Gjelina: Cooking from Venice, California
Gjelina

By Travis Lett

Published 2015

  • About

We cook leeks in various ways at Gjelina, playing up their natural sweetness through braising, charring, or, here, lacto-fermenting as one would sauerkraut. This is a pickle that elevates pâté or smoked fish, and takes an egg or tuna salad sandwich to new heights.

Ingredients

  • 8 leeks, white and light-green parts only, cut into ¼-in [6-mm] rings
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • One

Method

Rinse the leeks in several changes of cold water to remove any dirt. Gently squeeze the excess water out of the leeks. Place the leeks in a mixing bowl and massage the salt into them, separating the rings and causing them to release some liquid. Stir in the horseradish.

Pack the leeks into a 1-qt [1-L] glass jar with a lid. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let sit at room te