16 Chefs on Their Favorite Ways to Cook Ramps

Come spring, there’s a lot of produce to get excited about. While chefs eagerly await the arrival of vegetables like asparagus and artichokes, no ingredient receives quite as much attention as ramps. These wild leeks — which taste like a combination of onions and garlic — have gathered a cultlike following, in part because they’re only available for a few weeks between late April and early June.

Whatever you’re in the mood for, ramps are sure to enhance the flavors of the dish. If you’re able to get your hands on some of these fleeting alliums, look no further than the following 16 chefs’ tips for inspiration on how to cook, eat, and enjoy them.

Cédric Vongerichten, chef-owner, Wayan and Ma•dé

“Sambal matah is a traditional sauce/condiment that first originated in Bali. My variation uses lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, lime, and chiles. I like to replace shallots with ramps for a seasonal component. The bulb of the ramp is grilled, and the green stem is chopped. I love to pair it with a piece of fish, lamb, or suckling pig.”

Aimee Olexy, restaurateur, The Love, Talula’s Garden, Talula’s Daily

“Ramps, to me, are best grilled at a medium-high temperature until they are tender and charred. They are excellent served as the condiment to a moist white fish like halibut or bass and brushed with a touch of honey, soy, and mustard.”

Aksel Theilkuhl, former executive chef, The Bygone

“Pickled. Always. It’s also the easiest way to treat them. A dish that we’ll make is pickled ramp toast. We take toast; melt good, sharp cheddar cheese; and then put the pickled ramps on top.”

Katie Button, executive chef/co-owner, Cúrate

“Ramps are the most exciting thing that happens in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the springtime. We pickle the bulbs and puree the green tops. The bulbs get served on our platters of housemade gravlax and smoked sable, and the pureed green tops get folded into cream cheese and smeared on our freshly baked hand-rolled bagels. The flavor lands somewhere between fresh spring onion and garlic, and I relish the moment they return each year.”

Jennifer Carroll and Billy Riddle, chef-owners, Carroll Couture Cuisine

“When we forage for ramps, we take the leaves but not the bulbs; we don’t dig them up. It’s a sustainable practice. By not disturbing the root structure, the ramps will grow back by double the following year. Our favorite way to cook ramps is by fermenting the tops. Our mixture contains ramp tops, carrot tops, leeks, and Izak spice, a spice blend that La Boîte mixes for us. This sauce is delicious on bread, vegetables, and fish.”

Joe Frillman, chef-owner, Daisies

“I really enjoy ramps in the uncooked state. We like to macerate them into vinaigrettes, marinades, condiments, or just raw, finely sliced. You can use them interchangeably in any recipe calling for garlic. The season is so short that I kind of like the idea of savoring the pungent flavor that can stick with you. It’s a reminder that the cold, terrible winter weather is almost coming to an end in Chicago.

“For that reason, my favorite way to eat them is with something clean and bright to contrast. Sliced vibrant citrus with a raw ramp vinaigrette lets you savor the pungency, but also wakes you up from the flavor punch they bring to the table. After a winter full of subtle, sweet root vegetables, it’s nice to be hit in the face with the stench of spring to get you out of that winter hibernation.”

Leigh Omilinsky, executive pastry chef/partner, Daisies

“I love making a ramp compound butter, and then I can use it in laminating doughs. Ramp Danishes are delicious. They are also beautiful.”

Katy Velázquez, vice president of culinary innovation, Qdoba

“I love them slow-poached in oil along with herbs and garlic. You can use the ramps for pastas, sauces, or on top of vegetables, and refrigerate the oil and use it for a while!”

Brad McDonald, chef/hospitality operator, Fifteen Two Hospitality

“I prefer the leaves. I salt them like one would sauerkraut and let them ferment for a couple of weeks in a cool place. At that point, I have ramp kraut and ramp kraut water in my fermentation vessel. I separate the two and use the kraut leaves to make an oil. With the lactic fermentation, you get a great onion-garlic flavor profile that comes out cleanly in the oil. I use it to split raw buttermilk to get the flavor of a ranch dressing that can be used with nearly anything you would want to put ranch dressing on, or just simply eaten with flatbread.

“I then use the kraut liquid to flavor a butter emulsion (I swear it’s the better version of Papa John’s garlic dipping sauce), which I’ve had success braising cabbages, turnips, and even shellfish in.”

Gabriele Carpentieri, executive chef, Sant Ambroeus

“I quite enjoy ramps simply tossed in extra-virgin olive oil and salt, then placed on the grill.”

Jesús Núñez, former executive chef, Sea Fire Grill

“I like to chop ramps in big pieces, sauté them, and mix them with scrambled eggs. For a special occasion, I top them with fresh lump crabmeat or crispy bacon.”

Danny Grant, chef-partner, Maple & Ash

“One of our most popular dishes at etta [was] the ricotta pillows. I love pairing these two by simply wilting the ramps in a pan with a little Parmesan stock, then glazing alongside the pillows. It helps concentrate the flavor, and they complement each other perfectly.”

Thomas Raquel, former executive pastry chef, Le Bernardin

“For the warmer seasons, I always look forward to ramps. Their robust flavor makes for a great pesto when they are charred, or even a quiche!”

Flynn McGarry, chef-owner, Cove

“At Gem, we [made] tortellini out of ramps. The filling is a paste made from the ramp bottoms with pistachios and oregano, and then we use the ramp leaves instead of pasta dough.”

Spike Mendelsohn, chef/co-owner, Sunnyside Restaurant Group

“I believe there is only one way eat ramps and that is to pickle them, like a fenugreek pickle.”

Jimmy Papadopoulos, former executive chef, Bellemore

“In the restaurant, one of our favorite methods to preserve ramps is salting the bases in a 2% salinity brine. Allowing them to ferment brings on a nice sour funk, but also preserves the beautiful sweet, fiery garlic character that we love about ramps. The tops we blanch and shock, puree smooth as possible, and then freeze the puree in small batches. This is my favorite method for preserving the green vibrancy of the ramp long after spring has become summer.”