Salmorejo, Spanish cold tomato and bread soup
Salmorejo from Córdoba: a thick, velvety cold Spanish cream of tomato, bread and extra virgin olive oil, served with hard-boiled egg and jamón. No-cook, perfect for summer.
Are you looking for a Spanish cold soup that is thicker and more filling than the usual gazpacho, made without turning on the stove?
Then salmorejo from Córdoba is the answer. I’ll walk you through it step by step: ripe tomatoes, plenty of bread and extra virgin olive oil, blended at length into a velvety, compact cream of a lovely soft orange, ready in about twenty minutes.
The beauty of this recipe is exactly its thickness. Unlike gazpacho, here the bread is not a sidekick but the heart of the dish: it soaks up the tomato and, together with the oil poured in a thin stream, builds a smooth, full-bodied emulsion you can almost eat with a spoon. The secret is the quality of the ingredients, because there are so few of them: very ripe tomatoes and a bold extra virgin olive oil make all the difference.
Making salmorejo has at least three advantages: it uses simple seasonal ingredients, it costs little, and it rests beautifully in the fridge, where it actually sets and improves.
A useful tip: adjust the bread to the texture you prefer, adding more if you want it firmer. And if you want a vegetarian version, skip the jamón and finish with hard-boiled egg and a drizzle of oil.
To serve, keep it well chilled and add the toppings at the last moment: chopped hard-boiled egg, jamón serrano and a swirl of oil. It keeps in the fridge for two days in a sealed container.
Ready? Let’s make the salmorejo.
Base preparations used
To make this recipe
A small selection of handy tools to keep within reach. Some links may be affiliate links.
Kitchen blender
Ideal for making smooth pestos and sauces. Choose a stable, powerful model for best results.
Steps
- Wash the tomatoes, cut them into pieces and blend them to a purée. For a very fine cream, pass them through a sieve to remove skins and seeds.
- Add the torn stale bread and let it soften for a few minutes in the blended tomato.
- Blend again with the garlic and salt, for a good while, until you get a smooth, even cream.
- With the blender running, pour in the extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream: the salmorejo emulsifies and turns thick, velvety and a soft orange colour. Add the vinegar only if you like a tangy note.
- Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve it well chilled with chopped hard-boiled egg, jamón serrano and a drizzle of oil.
Helpful tips
Thickness is the signature of salmorejo: it should be far creamier than gazpacho. Adjust the amount of bread for the right consistency.
Use very ripe tomatoes and a good extra virgin olive oil: they are what make the flavour.
For a vegetarian version, leave out the jamón and finish with just hard-boiled egg and a drizzle of oil.
It keeps for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Add the toppings only when ready to serve.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 22.0 g
- Sugars
- 8.0 g
- Protein
- 8.0 g
- Fat
- 19.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.5 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 380 mg
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