Make Ahead

Salmorejo (Cold Spanish Tomato Soup with Serrano Ham)

May 31, 2012
5
3 Ratings
Photo by Mark Weinberg
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

Salmorejo is a very typical cold tomato soup from the south of Spain. It's similar to gazpacho, but creamier, thicker, and more flavorful. The soup is perfect to bring to a party, as it can be made ahead of time.

Salmorejo is garnished with Serrano ham, or even better, Iberico ham, along with some hard boiled egg and bread croutons. The ham contributes flavor, the bread adds the crunchiness, and the egg gives the whole thing some texture. Make sure to invest in good ham, high-quality olive oil, and very ripe tomatoes. —Maria@spoonglish

Test Kitchen Notes

I had never heard of this lovely version of a gazpacho prior to testing this recipe. I was not able to duplicate the perfectly smooth consistency in maria@spoonglish's photo, though it might've been possible if I'd strained it after blending. That said, I loved the flavor of the soup, as well as the lovely silken texture which resulted from a generous dose of olive oil. In the future, I could see serving this in shot glasses with an olive oil-laced crouton and slice of hard boiled egg as an hors d'oeuvre. —boulangere

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Salmorejo
  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 slices of white sandwich bread or country bread
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • Garnish
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Serrano ham (or prosciutto)
  • 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
  • Croutons
Directions
  1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Make a cross with a knife on the bottom of each tomato and put them in the boiling water for 30 seconds, in small batches. This makes removing the skin much easier.
  2. Peel and quarter the tomatoes, then put them in a blender. Add the garlic cloves. Soak the bread in water for a few seconds, squeeze it with your hands, and add it to the blender. Purée until smooth, about 3 minutes depending on your blender.
  3. Open the blender and add the oil, salt ,and vinegar. Put the top on the blender and purée for 10 more seconds. Pour the soup into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  4. Serve in individual soup bowls and garnish with croutons, Serrano ham, and hard boiled egg. Drizzle with olive oil.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Mar Pom
    Mar Pom
  • Elaine
    Elaine
  • Daire Charlotte Paddy
    Daire Charlotte Paddy
  • Abakkeful
    Abakkeful
  • Ana Ace
    Ana Ace

13 Reviews

halfdani October 12, 2019
Came out great. There's literally nothing I would change.
 
Mar P. September 27, 2018
Nothing like gazpacho except the tomatoes, of course.
Gazpacho is more like a liquid salad as it contains, besides the aforementioned tomato, green pepper, cucumber, onion and vinegar that yield a very different flavor.
 
tammie September 2, 2016
Mmmmmm! Lovely way to celebrate a good tomato harvest!
 
Elaine August 13, 2016
Andalusian-style gazpacho is one of my very favorite summer recipes. I don't have a crazy-powerful blender or anything, but I've found that it's a lot easier to get a really smooth texture if you add the olive oil slooowly while the blender is on; it emulsifies and creates a really cool texture.
 
Talentedtaster February 27, 2016
There is NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GAZPACHO!!!!!!!
 
Daire C. April 21, 2015
Love this recipe, but where I used to live (Andalucía) this was served as a dip rather than a soup (didn't help my waste line though as it's so addictive I must worked my way through dozens of baguettes!)
 
Amy M. October 4, 2018
It's funny my husband and had this for the first time last night, and ended up scooping bread into it between spoonfuls.
 
Abakkeful September 21, 2014
So good I made it twice. My cherry tomatoes had all ripened at once and I needed to use ASAP. I didn't bother peeling and they blended quite nicely--very smooth (like the picture). Highly recommend!
 
Maria@spoonglish May 4, 2015
So glad you liked it!
 
Ana A. September 19, 2014
Great, but no prosciutto, please. I'm from Andalucía. I swear: better no ham at all than a raw-type ham like prosciutto. (It is also nice with smoked salmon or similar). Thanks for your blog!
 
Jo September 17, 2014
I like to use soaked Panko as a thickener.
 
arielleclementine June 4, 2012
gorgeous! thanks for the recipe!
 
aargersi May 31, 2012
This sounds fantastic and summery-perfect!