Salmorejo is a chilled summer soup from Spain and is very similar to gazpacho. Both are made with fresh tomatoes and garlic, but salmorejo is enriched with bread and topped with olive oil, jamon serrano and chopped hardboiled eggs. As you can see in my photo, I was so excited about diving into my bowl of salmorejo that I forgot to put the chopped eggs on top!
Excellent for Summertime
When I have visted Spain, this light dish has always been my go-to order at the tapas bars. It is such an easy soup to make at home. Refreshing and satisfying, I love this as a cold side dish with sandwiches or salads during the summer.
Gazpacho is lighter and less filling than this recipe, which may work for your meal plan. But many times it’s nice to have a small chilled dish of something that will fill you up so you can get back to your summertime activities.
Ma en España…
To be completely honest, this chilled summer soup tastes so much better when enjoyed in Spain. The ingredient combination of pureed bread, garlic and tomatoes may seem completely unusual to U.S. home cooks. But I promise, this is one of the most common, most requested summer dishes along the Costa del Sol.
If you are still not in the traveling mood after all of our recent lockdowns, whipping up a batch of salmorejo might be the quickest (and cheapest) way to experience world travel. If you happen to find some beautifully blushing tomatoes and artisanal bread at the farmer’s market, give this recipe a try. Add a nice bottle of rioja or make a quick pitcher of sangria and your trip to Spain can be in your own back yard. Serve with sliced jamon serrano, more bread, a little cheese and fruit for a complete meal.
PrintSalmorejo – Traditional Chilled Andalusian Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 lbs. red ripe tomatoes, chopped (1kg)
1–2 cloves garlic, peeled
2–3 cups of cubed day-old bread (204g)
¾ cups best quality Spanish olive oil (180ml)
Salt to taste
Extra Spanish olive oil for garnish
1 hardboiled egg, chopped
2 oz jamon serrano, thickly cut, then diced (50g)
Instructions
Using a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes. Strain the puree through a mesh strainer to remove the seeds and skins. In batches, return portions of the tomato puree to the processor along with the garlic, cubed bread and olive oil (do not over fill processor). Puree all of the ingredients until smooth, processing in batches until all of the ingredients have been pureed.
Chill the salmorejo in the refrigerator before serving. Salmorejo is best when prepared a day in advance.
Adjust salt level right before serving. Serve in individual cups, each garnished with a few drops of olive oil, chopped boiled egg and diced jamon serrano.
Notes
Spend a little bit extra and get the reddest, ripest tomatoes available. The authenticity and flavor of your Spanish salmorejo doesn’t depend on a recipe, but on the quality of the tomatoes. Also, the bread should be dense, artisan bakery quality bread for best results. Adjust the salt right before serving the chilled salmorejo as the salt level in the bread can be unpredictable.
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