Salmorejo is a wonderful Spanish dish, from the region of Cordoba, usually served as a starter and garnished with Serrano ham and hard boiled egg. Basically, it’s a cold tomato cream, and its main ingredients are tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic and vinegar.
It’s one of my favourite summer dishes, so easy to make and really delicious and refreshing on a hot summer’s day! But don’t confuse it with gazpacho, the Spanish cold soup made with tomatoes. Gazpacho is thinner, contains less bread, more water and additional ingredients like cucumber and red or green pepper.
I would say you drink gazpacho, but you eat salmorejo. You can also spread it on toast, with some Serrano ham on top, so if you want to do this you could make it a little thicker – by adding a bit more bread and a little less water. (For a hot treat, try this cream of tomato soup.)
The Spanish dish Salmorejo is a cold tomato cream made from tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic and vinegar and garnished with Serrano ham and hard boiled egg.
Ingredients
1kg ripe plum tomatoes, washed and halved
4 medium thick slices white bread (loaf or sliced)
50ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1 tbsp Sherry vinegar
3 ice cubes
Salt, to taste
1 hard boiled egg, finley diced (for garnish)
1 large handful Serrano ham, finely diced (for garnish)
Instructions
Remove the crusts from the bread and rip into pieces.
Blend all the ingredients for the salmorejo, except half the olive oil, the ice cubes, the salt and the garnish, in a blender.
Add the ice cubes and liquify in the blender.
Strain the salmorejo through a conical sieve to remove any solid pieces.
Blend again, adding the rest of the olive oil and salt to taste, until it has a smooth, thick consistency.
Serve immediately in small bowls, topped with diced eggs and Serrano ham.