Salmorejo with tuna

Have you ever tried salmorejo? You have surely heard about –or even had some- gazpacho, a cold tomato soup typical from Spanish cuisine. Well, the fact of the matter is that salmorejo is very similar to gazpacho and sometimes people do not distinguish it.

Differences between salmorejo and gazpacho

The main difference between salmorejo and gazpacho is the number of ingredients. Salmorejo has a few less ingredients, a lighter red –even orangy- color and a thicker consistency. Actually, salmorejo is often eaten with a spoon while gazpacho can simply be drank from a glass.

Tomato and extra virgin olive oil from Spain are the two basic ingredients for a great salmorejo recipe. Any Spanish EVOO will work great in your salmorejo recipe, but we recommend using the picual varety for its strong character and intense fruity aromas, which goes along perfectly with tomato. However, if you want to try a different EVOO and bring your own personal touch to the salmorejo recipe, feel free to use any of the more than 200 endemic varieties of olives from Spain, they’re all great!

Let’s learn how to make salmorejo, are you ready?

How to make salmorejo:

1. Peel and dice the tomatoes. Try to use ripe tomatoes if possible.
2. Peel the garlic and remove the germ –this is important because it will make the garlic taste nicer, noticeable but not too strong-.
3. Soak the the bread in water for a few minutes.
4. Put the tomato, the bread, the garlic, the vinegar and a pinch of salt into a blender bowl.
5. Blend at slow speed and meanwhile drizzle in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain until the mixture becomes creamy.
6. If possible, let the salmorejo rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.
7. When serving, chop the boiled eggs and put some on top of the salmorejo. The final touch: a drizzle of Spanish EVOO and you’re ready to go!

That’s it, the salmorejo recipe is finished! A great side for the salmorejo is adding some flaked tuna on top and/or some toasted breadcrumbs, that will give it a nice crunchy texture and some fantastic extra flavors.

Now that you know how to make salmorejo, you have a great option for a starter dish or for a light dinner. Try it!