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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

Salmon and Leeks

By: Kathryn Doherty | Last Updated: Mar 12, 2025 | Published: Apr 23, 2015
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Salmon and leeks are a delicious combination that make for a fast, easy and healthy dinner!

A plate with sautéed leeks topped with a piece of salmon and a bowl of rice in the background


 

Thank you to the nice lady at the grocery store who was wielding a leek like a baseball bat and ordering some salmon.

She said she steamed all of her stuff in some fancy store-bought contraption in the microwave, which didn’t sound particularly appealing to me, but the leek-salmon-soy sauce combo she mentioned did.

So I played around with it a bit and came up with today's recipe, which is simple and simply delicious.

Leeks, if you are unfamiliar, are related to onions and have a sweet, delicate flavor. Plus, they are pretty.

Three long leeks laying on a counter.
Sliced raw leeks stacked on a counter.
Sliced leeks in water in a white mixing bowl to loosen up any dirt.
Sliced leeks being sautéed in a skillet.

As a major bonus, leeks are very high in a type of fiber that our good-for-us gut bacteria love.

Good gut bacteria does amazing things for you. It's a fascinating emerging field of science (says the uber-nerd here who took a Coursera class all about it).

You know what? Just read this. Page 2 has the good info on leeks.

Now you want to eat leeks every week, right? Me, too.

The lady in the grocery store, who was not raised in the U.S., said too few people here use leeks. I wholeheartedly agreed. Even my little one J, in the shopping cart, saw our discussion and started nodding his head (a new discovery - and a fun departure from just shaking and “no”) and said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Thanks for the support, buddy.

So here’s a simple introduction to leeks, paired with some gorgeous wild-caught salmon. Talk about a serious superfood pairing!

A plate of salmon with leeks alongside steamed rice and asparagus

OK, a few quick notes about this salmon and leeks recipe.

(You can scroll down to the recipe card if you'd rather. It's at the bottom of the post, just above the comments section.)

Recipe Notes:

  • Salmon: In most areas of the US, you need to buy your salmon on the day you plan to use it. It does not keep for long. I plan for this and cook salmon on days when I know I’ll be grocery shopping. Or I use frozen wild-caught Alaskan salmon. It’s frozen right after it’s caught and cleaned, so it’s as fresh as you can get, apart from cozying up to a fisherman as he docks his boat.
  • Leeks: Leeks need to be carefully cleaned to get the dirt out of the inner layers. See the instructions below and the photos above for the stages of this.
  • Yield: This recipe is written to serve two, but you can certainly double the recipe if needed.
  • Serving: This salmon dish pairs great with rice and your favorite veggie. And a glass of wine.
  • Leftovers: This is best served as soon as it's made. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Here it's served here with my perfect brown rice and steamed asparagus.

A dinner plate with salmon, rice and asparagus

If you’re lucky, the sauce from the salmon and the leeks will run all over your plate and make for some extra tasty rice and asparagus. Hint, hint: Make this happen.

Oh and basmati brown rice is also divine with this. As is roasted asparagus instead of steamed. Just put it in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper and it cooks in about the same time as the fish.

Or sub in some green beans or broccoli or another favorite vegetable. This is a pretty versatile dish for pairing.

Do your gut microbiome a favor and try out some salmon and leeks soon.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Have you tried leeks? What's your favorite way to prepare them? Leave me a comment below - I'm always looking for new ideas!

A roasted salmon filet served on a better of tender sliced leeks with a soy sauce mixture drizzled over and a bowl of rice in the background.
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4.67 from 3 votes

Salmon and Leeks

Salmon and leeks is a great combination and makes for an easy, fast and healthy dinner!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

For the salmon:

  • 2 (6-oz) pieces of wild-caught salmon
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For the leeks:

  • 1 large leek
  • 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Instructions

  • Prepare salmon. Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • Rinse salmon and pat it dry. Place in prepared baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Bake at 450 for 10-14 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your salmon.
  • Meanwhile, prepare leeks. Wash leeks, remove outer layer, trim ends and slice into small circles, using white and light green parts only. (See pictures in the post above.) Put circles in a bowl of cold water and toss them around to release any extra dirt in the folds. Drain leeks and rinse again to remove any last stubborn bits of dirt.
  • Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat.
  • Add leaks and season with salt and pepper. Sauté leeks for 2-3 minutes, until just softened. Add sesame oil and turn off heat.
  • To serve: Place leeks on plate and top with cooked salmon. Drizzle 1 teaspoon soy sauce on each piece of salmon. Add an extra splash if you like. I always do. Enjoy!

Notes

Salmon: In most areas of the US, you need to buy your salmon on the day you plan to use it. It does not keep for long. I plan for this and cook salmon on days when I know I’ll be grocery shopping. Or I use frozen wild-caught Alaskan salmon. It’s frozen right after it’s caught and cleaned, so it’s as fresh as you can get, apart from cozying up to a fisherman as he docks his boat.
Leeks: Leeks need to be carefully cleaned to get the dirt out of the inner layers. See the instructions below and the photos above for the stages of this.
Yield: This recipe is written to serve two, but you can certainly double the recipe if needed.
Serving: This salmon dish pairs great with rice and your favorite veggie. And a glass of wine. 😉
Leftovers: This is best served as soon as it's made. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 682mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anita

    October 09, 2015 at 7:09 am

    This recipe looks so delicious! Hi, I'm Anita visiting from Foodie Fridiy.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 09, 2015 at 3:45 pm

      Thanks Anita! It's a great combo!

      Reply
  2. Ti

    March 31, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    I made this dish last night and it's going into the rotation! It was simple to prepare and so very tasty. I'm kind of a purist with my salmon, and was apprehensive about the soy sauce, so I didn't use the full 2 tbs, just in case. 🙂 But it turned out great and I'll use more soy sauce next time.

    I had some fresh asparagus that needed to be used, so rather than roasting it like I've been doing, I chopped it up and sauteed it with the leeks. We have a household member that needs food in bite sized pieces so I have to cut asparagus before serving anyway, and I really liked the extra texture it added to the leek preparation.

    We like leeks, although they're not always available here. I've always prepared them with salmon, and DH likes to use them in soups.

    This recipe is definitely a winner! Thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      April 04, 2018 at 2:58 pm

      I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Salmon and leeks are definitely a great combo together and I love that you added asparagus as well - yum! 😊

      Reply
4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Meet Kathryn

Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

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