Salmorejo is a simple, creamy, Spanish cold soup. A perfect fresh summer dish made with ripe seasonal tomatoes.
This delicious fresh, creamy, southern Spanish recipe was passed onto me by my Spanish mother in law who got it from a friend from Jaen, Andalusia, that was passed down to her through the generations. I’ve been enjoying this cold soup nearly every summer for 20 years now but I have only just recently discovered how to make it so I could share it with you.
Although I have slightly reduced the amount of bread and oil in the recipe that was given to me, the original texture and flavour of this delicious cold soup has still been maintained.
With its origins from rural Cordoba, Andalusia, Salmorejo is a recipe that has evolved over time. The original recipe wasn’t made with tomatoes, in fact, it was a sauce not a soup based on the ingredients; water, vinegar, salt and oil, to accompany white meat dishes. Today there are apparently more than 10 types of Salmorejo.
This recipe is made with tomatoes, bread, garlic, vinegar, salt and water. There is no cooking involved and little preparation. The bread should be at least one day old, ideal if you have bread that’s been left out and gone hard. Instead of throwing the bread away you can make bread crumbs with it which is exactly what’s needed for this recipe. The bread crumbs will soak up all the ingredients, blended well, to create a deliciously creamy soup.
The tomatoes should be ripe and in season to get the best flavour and there’s no need to peel them.
You will need a large blending machine, one that has the capacity for at least 500ml of liquids. The soup doesn’t take more than 20 minuets to make however you will have to prepare the breadcrumbs. Although you can use bread crumbs already bought I think homemade bread crumbs add to the flavour and texture. The other advantage is that you can use your preferred bread. However, any bread works well just as long as it isn’t fresh.
The soup is best served cold. Once blended leave it in the fridge for 2 hours before serving. This is why the prep time is 2 hours 25 minutes. If you don’t have time you can always add ice cubes. I’ve always found this strange but it makes sense when the weather is so hot. Surprisingly the added ice cubes won’t change the taste of the soup although it will be slightly diluted.
If you want more Spanish dishes try my Romesco sauce recipe.
Ingredients
4 Ripe Tomatoes
200grams of Bread crumbs
1 Garlic clove
2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
400ml Water
50ml Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
Firstly, the bread crumbs will need to be prepared. Break the dry, day or two old bread up into pieces and put them in your blender. Blend until you get breadcrumbs. You can break it down until it's very fine or keep the unevenness in the breadcrumbs to add some texture to your soup. Pour the breadcrumbs into a container to add later.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters and the garlic into pieces and add them to the blender.
Blend the tomatoes, garlic, salt and vinegar for a couple of minutes until it's all liquidised into a tomato juice.
Add the bread crumbs and blend for a minute until the tomato juice has been soaked up by the bread. Continue blending for around 4 minutes whilst adding the water. Depending on your blender you can add the water in two parts or if you have a blender with an opening you can add the water slowly whilst blending. Make sure you blend on a low speed as it will splash!
Last but not least, add the oil. Again add this slowly if you can and blend for a further 4 minutes. The blending time is important. To get a good creamy soup blend for about 8 minutes in total.
Add more water for a thinner consistency.
I love fresh basil with this soup, chopped up and sprinkled on top. You can add grilled tofu or croutons and or any other fresh herbs and spices.
Notes
- I like to cut off the hard bit on the top of the tomatoes but there is no need to peel them. If well blended you shouldn't have any bits of tomato skin in the end result.
- The taste and texture will depend a lot on your tomatoes. Make sure they are ripe. If the tomatoes are soft to the touch they are mature enough. If possible use tomatoes when in season as they taste so much better.
- I think apple cider vinegar gives the best result. You can use white, red or balsamic but the taste will change considerably.
- Any oil can be used. I use olive oil but you can substitute with your preferred oil.
- Blend for at least 8 minutes as this helps with the overall taste and consistency.
