The Best Salmorejo Recipe
Salmorejo is a delicious thick and creamy cold soup originating from the South of Spain. It consists of very few ingredients and that’s precisely why it tastes so good. It’s composition is direct, using hardy and healthy ingredients one can source from within their own backyard garden. Before we dive into the simple recipe, we wanted to shed some light on the origin of this incredible soup to give some context to its popularity.
Photo by Erik Mclean
The origins of Salmorejo
In Cordoba (the city within Andalucia, part of the Iberian Peninsula in the South of Spain), the weather gets very hot! In fact, it has the highest summer temperatures in Spain and Europe! With the city bustling under the summer sun, sipping on a cold Salmorejo soup is arguable just as delightful as sipping on a chilled glass of sangria. It has become a go-to dish which can be served as its own meal or as a starter. With a climate like that in Cordoba, only certain crops can withstand the heat and survive through sparse rainfall. Of the crops that do grow well, olives, grains, grapes and tomatoes are some of the most fruitful. Taking this into consideration, Salmorejo is an ideal meal because it only requires a few ingredients which are readily available. It also has an incredible texture which is smooth and thick, the perfect combination to fill your stomach without the heaviness of dense proteins during the summer months in Spain. The history of this dish isn’t entirely clear, though it is very likely that it was a common meal even before the 15th Century.
Gazpacho versus Salmorejo
For many people, Gazpacho and Salmorejo are essentially the twin dishes, cold soup made mostly from tomatoes. While they similar, they are more like cousin dishes versus twin dishes for a few reasons. To start, the texture of Salmorejo is thicker and smoother than the chunkier and thinner Gazpacho. This is because the amount of bread blended inside the Salmorejo creates a creamier experience. People from the South of Spain praise this aspect because of how soothing the soup is during the hot summer climate! Also, the Salmorejo uses few very simple ingredients whereas the Gazpacho will add in some extra vegetables such as peppers or onions. This can sometimes contribute the overall texture from being super creamy, to a little chunkier. Finally, traditionally the Salmorejo is served in a wider soup bowl, whereas the Gazpacho would likely be served in a taller glass to sip from. While that last one is a more subtle serving detail, it’s something you might recognize when eating at a restaurant. Although very similar, these two soups do have their differences and foodies around the world have created conversations based solely around this debate.
Photo by Erik Mclean
To vinegar or not to vinegar your Salmorejo
At some point in history (around the 18th Century), it became optional (some say popular) to add vinegar to Salmorejo. This was a unique way to add some brightness to the overall flavor profile in combination with the acidic tomatoes, the creamy graininess from the blended bread, the garlic and the oil. It also helped to shift the color of the soup from a lighter red/pink to a deeper, more saturated red. This ‘modern’ approach was well received and adapted by culinary enthusiasts and restaurants across Spain. That said, the vinegar isn’t part of the original/traditional recipe, however to make a Salmorejo you can opt to add or not add vinegar to your version.
The Best Salmorejo Recipe
In our humble opinion, we believe that simple ingredients should speak for themselves. In this case, Salmorejo only uses a few ingredients and each one should shine in harmony with the rest. As mentioned above, vinegar is an optional ingredient which we choose not to include in this recipe. To us, this makes the best recipe for Salmorejo and stays true to the original recipe. It respects how beautiful a soup can be with such a minimal amount of ingredients. This recipe is coming directly through the family of one of our Native Spanish Instructors who grew up in Spain. She learned this recipe while growing up and is proud to share it with you all. To get started, you will need:
Ingredients You Will Need:
- 1kg (a bit more that 2 pounds) of ripe tomatoes. This is the most important ingredient.
- 200gr of artisan bread (7oz?) in slices
- Extra virgin olive oil. This is the second most important ingredient. It’s wise to choose a good extra virgin olive oil!
- 1 hardboiled egg
- 1 clove of garlic
- A pinch of salt
- Serrano ham (to decorate)
How to prepare the Salmorejo
- Wash the tomatoes, cut them in pieces and grind them with the blender.
- Put the tomato juice in a big bowl and add the bread slices. Let the bread soak in the tomato juice for about 5 minutes.
- Second blend: add the salt and the garlic and blend until the soup is an even texture and the bread is completely broken down. You can experiment with how much bread you add: that's the way you'll change the texture!
- Add the olive oil little by little while continuing to blend until it reaches a beautiful orange color.
- Follow the Spanish tradition and decorate it with diced hardboiled egg, sliced serrano ham and some drops of extra virgin olive oil.
Spanish Vocabulary
Try practicing your Spanish with these helpful vocabulary terms!
Los ingredientes (the ingredients)
Los tomates (tomatoes)
El pan (bread)
El aceite de oliva (olive oil)
El ajo (garlic)
La sal (salt)
El huevo fresco / El huevo cocido (fresh egg / hardboiled egg)
El jamón serrano (serrano ham)
Lavar (to wash)
Cortar (to cut)
Triturar (grind)
Añadir (add)
Mezclar (mix)
Servir (serve)
Decorar (decorate)
Comer (to eat)
Los utensilios (utensils)
La tabla de cocina (the board)
El cuchillo (the knife)
La batidora (The blender)
Gracias!
We hope you find this recipe as delicious as we do! Don’t forget to ‘heart’ this post and share with your friends. If you made the Salmorejo using the recipe above, email us your pictures! Our favorite ones might just get featured on our Instagram account!