🇪🇸 Spain · Córdoba, Andalusia

SalmorejoCold Córdoba tomato soup

Name: Salmorejo (Cold Córdoba tomato soup)
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 1 kg (2.2 lb) ripe, flavourful tomatoes, washed, green core cut out; no need to peel or seed; 200 g (7 oz) day-old crusty white bread, Córdoba telera or a country loaf, crust removed if very hard; 150 ml (2/3 cup) extra virgin olive oil, a fruity Andalusian oil, ideally from Priego de Córdoba; 1 small clove garlic, germ removed if it is sprouting; fine salt, to taste; 100 g (3.5 oz) jamón serrano, cut in small strips or dice, for serving; 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped, for serving; extra virgin olive oil, a thread over each bowl

A thick, smooth, cold Andalusian soup of ripe tomatoes, day-old bread, olive oil and garlic emulsified into a pale orange cream, served with chopped hard-boiled egg and cured ham.

Origin and history

Salmorejo is the cold tomato and bread soup of Córdoba, in Andalusia. It descends from the old Andalusian cold soups of bread, oil and garlic, and took its tomato form once tomatoes arrived from the Americas. It is thicker and plainer than gazpacho, and Córdoba's salmorejo brotherhood promotes the traditional recipe, with ham and egg on top.

Make it at home

Makes: 6 servings
Total time: 45 min
Hands-on: 25 min

Ingredients

Metric US

1 kg2.2 lb ripe, flavourful tomatoes, washed, green core cut out; no need to peel or seed
200 g7 oz day-old crusty white bread, Córdoba telera or a country loaf, crust removed if very hard
150 ml2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, a fruity Andalusian oil, ideally from Priego de Córdoba
1 small clove garlic, germ removed if it is sprouting
fine salt, to taste
100 g3.5 oz jamón serrano, cut in small strips or dice, for serving
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped, for serving
extra virgin olive oil, a thread over each bowl

Method

1. Blend the whole tomatoes until completely liquid.
2. Pour the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing so that the skins and seeds stay behind.
3. Tear the bread into pieces, put it in a large bowl and pour the tomato purée over it. Leave it for about 10 minutes, until the bread is completely soft.
4. Add the garlic and blend until you have a thick, smooth cream.
5. With the blender running, pour in the olive oil in a thin stream so it emulsifies and the cream turns pale orange and glossy.
6. Taste and add salt. If it is too thick to fall slowly from a spoon, blend in a spoonful of the sieved tomato juice or a little cold water; if too thin, blend in a little more bread.
7. Chill for at least 2 hours, until very cold.
8. Serve in small bowls, topped with ham, chopped egg and a thread of olive oil.

Notes

Total time: 45 min plus chilling.
Salmorejo is its own dish and not a thick gazpacho: no water, no cucumber, no pepper and, in the Córdoba tradition, no vinegar. It is made to be eaten with a spoon, where gazpacho is poured and drunk.
The porra antequerana from Antequera is a close relative with its own recipe on this site: it adds green pepper and vinegar, uses more bread and is often topped with tuna.
The amount of bread is a judgement call: watery tomatoes or a soft loaf need a little more, very dense bread a little less. Start with the weight above and adjust.
Out of season, do not try to rescue pale tomatoes with vinegar or sugar; wait for good summer tomatoes, which is when the dish makes sense.
Make it a day ahead if you like; it keeps well for 2 days in the refrigerator and the garlic mellows. Stir before serving.
In Córdoba it is also eaten as a tapa in small glasses, and served as a sauce-like cream with other dishes.

Adapted from Receta de salmorejo cordobés tradicional, Directo al Paladar and Diferencias entre gazpacho y salmorejo, Hola.