Salmorejo: Gazpacho’s Creamier Cousin
Salmorejo is a Spanish chilled tomato soup similar to the ever-popular Spanish gazpacho. Unlike gazpacho, however, salmorejo involves the emulsification of olive oil with the tomatoes and bread, which makes it a lovely light orange color, thicker and creamier. So if you like gazpacho, you’re going to love salmorejo!
Salmorejo: It’s All About the To-may-toes (and To-mah-toes)
Traditional salmorejo is made with very few ingredients, so their quality, especially of the tomatoes, is very important. This means using ripe and flavorful tomatoes in season, and consequently, unless you live in an area blessed with ripe, sweet tomatoes nine months of the year, your window for enjoying salmorejo (or gazpacho for that matter) will be limited – Sigh. But trust us, it will be worth the wait!
Although it is now served throughout Spain, salmorejo originated in the south of Spain in Córdoba, Andalucia, where it makes an impeccably refreshing dish during the very hot summer months typical of that region. Salmorejo is traditionally garnished with chopped boiled eggs, ham (jamón serrano or ibérico) and a few drizzles of olive oil, so although often served in Spain as a starter dish, it’s hearty enough to enjoy as an entrée. Of course, while the traditional garnishes complement the soup very nicely, if you prefer to omit one or more of them, the soup is very flavorful on its own.
In the salmorejo pictured above, instead of traditional olive oil, we experimented with basil flavored olive oil spheres that look and pop in your mouth like caviar! This olive oil caviar is produced by Caviaroli, a product we discovered while in San Sebastián, Spain, which added color, a hint of basil flavor and a modern touch to the dish.
Our First Salmorejo and Shout Out To Planeta 613!
Our first taste of salmorejo was a couple of years ago at Planeta 613 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain, a quaint restaurant in the popular and bustling area of Triana. We were dining there with our even more popular and bustling eighty-something year old uncle, Horacio, who introduced us to Planeta 613’s owner and chef, a gracious host whose favorite childhood book, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, inspired the name of the restaurant: Planeta 613 is the would-be, hypothetical neighbor to asteroid B-612, the home of the fictional Little Prince in the book. A very charming story, indeed, and after sharing it with us, he proceeded to serve us with one delicious dish after the next, among which was salmorejo. We loved it so much that he insisted on giving us the recipe, and right then and there he took a piece of paper from behind the bar and wrote down the ingredients for us. THANK YOU Planeta 613 for introducing us to your delicious salmorejo and inspiring our recipe!
Creamy Spanish Cold Tomato Soup (Salmorejo) Recipe and Wine Pairing (Verdejo and Rosé)
- For the Soup:
- About 4 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 7 ounces of stale rustic bread (about 1 medium baguette), coarsely sliced with any hard crusts removed
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- For the Garnish:
- 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 1/4 pound thinly sliced ham (serrano or ibérico), torn or chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
- Peeling, Quartering and Removing Seeds from Tomatoes: Fill a large pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and with a sharp knife, cut a shallow small "x" on the bottom of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in a medium bowl and set aside. Fill an extra large bowl half with water and half with ice and place in a location near the pot of boiling water. Working in batches, using a slotted spoon, submerge the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 30-35 seconds or until their skins begin to split. Immediately remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and submerge them in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and cool them down. Once cooled, peel the tomatoes by hand or with a sharp knife. Once peeled, cut the tomatoes in quarters, cut out any hard cores, scoop and discard the seeds.
- Working in batches as necessary, place the tomatoes in a blender or food processor with the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper and puree until combined.
- Add the bread to the mixture and continue pureeing until smooth.
- Remove the center of the blender's or food processor's lid, and with the motor running slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Turn off the blender or food processor and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours before serving.
- Serve in individual bowls, garnish with chopped egg and ham and drizzle with olive oil.
Wine Pairings for Salmorejo
Cool and refreshing salmorejo begs to be paired with wines that have similar qualities. We prefer to pair salmorejo with a white or rosé wine that is fruity with refreshing acidity to complement the acidity of the tomatoes but that is not so delicate as to be overpowered by the flavorful soup.
Salmorejo Paired with Verdejo
One of our favorite wines to pair with salmorejo is white wine made from Verdejo, an aromatic wine grape variety behind the crisp white wines of Rueda in central Spain. Verdejo wines are typically light-bodied, crisp and fresh with flavors of peach and melon (similar to Sauvignon Blanc with which it is often blended). The wines can also be made in fuller-bodied styles by utilizing certain winemaking techniques (e.g., fermentation in oak barrels and longer juice-grape skin contact). One Verdejo that we really like is from Bodegas Naia:
2016 Bodegas Naia Verdejo
Grape Varieties: 100% Verdejo
Region: Rueda DO
Alcohol by Volume: 13.5%
Average Price: $14.99
Aging: 4 months on its lees
Tasting Notes: Pale, lemon yellow in color with aromas and flavors of citrus and stone fruit, a smooth mouth feel and a lingering mineral finish.
Salmorejo Paired with Spanish Rosado (Rosé)
The always versatile Spanish rosado (rosé) also pairs very well with salmorejo, but as we mentioned above, just be sure that it’s not too delicate or it will be overpowered by the flavorful salmorejo. Try the 2016 Bodegas Muga Rosado (previously featured in our post, Three Spanish Rosés (Rosado) Wines to Try this Summer):
2016 Bodegas Muga Rosado
Grape Varieties: 60% Garnacha, 30% Viura and 10% Tempranillo
Region: Rioja DOCa
Alcohol by Volume: 13.5%
Average Price: $14.99
Aging: 3 months on its fine lees
Enjoy and thank you for visiting!
