Group · Vegetables
Little Gem lettuce
The Little Gem (known as sucrine in France) is a small lettuce with a tight heart and thick, crunchy leaves, somewhere between cos and round lettuce. Its French name comes from its slightly sweet taste, which is milder than that of other salad leaves.
In terms of nutrition facts, raw it provides 16.6 kcal per 100 g, with 2.58 g of carbohydrate, 0.8 g of fibre and 1.13 g of protein. It provides 230 mg of potassium, 23 mg of calcium, 181 µg of beta-carotene and 9.88 µg of vitamin K1 per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 17 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 70 kJ |
| Protein | 1,2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 2,6 g |
| Fibre | 0,8 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Vitamin K19,88 µg13 %
- Potassium230 mg12 %
- Manganese0,12 mg6 %
- Copper0,05 mg5 %
- Vitamin B60,07 mg5 %
- Vitamin B10,05 mg4 %
- Phosphorus30 mg4 %
- Vitamin C2,32 mg3 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents57,2 µg
See the other 9 nutrients
- Calcium23 mg3 %
- Vitamin B50,17 mg3 %
- Magnesium9,6 mg3 %
- Iron0,27 mg2 %
- Vitamin B20,03 mg2 %
- Vitamin A15,1 µg2 %
- Zinc0,18 mg2 %
- Vitamin B30,16 mg1 %
- Vitamin E0,11 mg1 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
Its leaves can be held in your hand. This is its main practical advantage: they work as spoons for a tuna salad, a tartare or a dip, with no bread or tortilla needed.
It is low in beta-carotene. It has 181 µg per 100 g, against 891 for a Batavia: its leaves are pale, and the rule applies to all salad leaves.
It stands up to cooking, which is rare. Halved and grilled for a minute on each side, it keeps its shape and develops a caramelised note, unthinkable with an oak leaf lettuce.
It holds dressing. Its thick leaves do not wilt straight away: it is the salad to choose for a lunch box dressed in advance, as long as you keep the vinaigrette separate.
Rinse it leaf by leaf. Its very tight heart traps soil at the base. This is the one preparation step not to skip.