Salmorejo {cold tomato soup + smoked sardines}

Salmorejo – this Spanish creamy tomato and bread soup, is a summer favorite, served chilled, and topped with smoked sardines, and chopped red onion.

I can eat my weight in tomatoes, and I never get tired of them.

While on vacation back in my home country, we had a blissful 10-day stay at a beach villa with a garden full of tomatoes – at least 10 different varieties, and all of them super delicious. Twice every day, for lunch and for dinner, I would happily get lost in the tomato bushes, choose my favorite variety (the heart-shaped, light pink ones that tasted the sweetest), and pick the ripest ones, then make a huge bowl of tomato and cucumber salad.  After a hot day at the beach that’s all I was really craving.

Despite all that tomato gorging, once I came back, I felt a little cheated…as if I missed the tomato season here in California. I know that we will be having tomatoes until October, and yet, I feel I won’t have the time to make all of my favorite tomato dishes, like this salmorejo.

The first time we tried salmorejo was on a trip to Spain a few years ago.  It’s a raw, tomato and bread soup, one of Spain’s finest, often served tapa-style, in small portions, topped with jamón, and boiled eggs.  It’s the perfect summer meal – cold, and light, and refreshing. The raw tomatoes are emulsified into a smooth, creamy almost cooked consistency with the help of the soaked day-old bread, and a good amount of olive oil, their taste slightly enhanced by garlic and vinegar.

Interestingly, out of all the Spanish dishes I tried to recreate after our trip, this is the one that stuck, and we’ve made it over and over.

The fun thing about this soup is that it lends itself really well to all kinds of toppings, and can easily be made vegan or even gluten-free without sacrificing its taste.

Here, I challenge tradition, and serve the salmorejo with smoked sardines, toasted garlic bread, and some chopped red onions for a stronger flavor kick. If you like seafood, you will appreciate this combo.  Vegetarians can top with boiled eggs instead.  For a gluten-free and vegan version, replace the bread with toasted almonds, then serve with more toasted nuts for crunch.  Or simply eat it like a Spaniard – with ham and boiled eggs.

I’ve tried all of the above, and they are all delicious.

It’s a simple soup that comes together in minutes, but to get the right creaminess here’s what I suggest:

1) Soak your bread (remove crusts) for about an hour. Squeeze the liquid out before blending.
2) Use very ripe and sweet tomatoes (no need to de-seed or peel them especially if you use high-speed blender).
3) Don’t reduce the amount of olive oil – it’s what creates the emulsification, and results in a super smooth and creamy soup.  If the soup seems a bit chunky and not quite smooth, blend some more, and try slowly adding more oil while continuing to blend.
4) Finally, chill well before serving, as the soup gets a bit warm from the blending.

5 from 1 vote

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Salmorejo {cold tomato soup + smoked sardines}

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Salmorejo - this Spanish creamy tomato and bread soup, is a summer favorite, served chilled, and topped with smoked sardines, and chopped red onion.

Course: Soup

Servings: 4

Calories: 498 kcal

Author: Viktoria

Ingredients

• 3 lbs ripe tomotoes (about 8 medium tomatoes)
• 10 oz day-old bread, like baguette, or other French or Italian variety, crust removed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic clove
• salt
• Toppings: canned smoked sardines, chopped anchovies or tuna, ham, boiled egg, chopped red onion, toasted almonds, toasted garlic bread, basil, parsley, etc.

Instructions

1. Tear the bread into pieces, and soak in water for an hour.
2. Quarter each tomato, and blend until smooth with the vinegar, garlic, and salt.
3. Squeeze the liquid from the bread, and add it to the tomatoes, blend until smooth.
4. Open the chute of your blender, and slowly add the olive oil while continuing to blend.
5. Adjust the salt and add more vinegar if needed.
6. Chill for at least an hour or so.
7. Serve topped with any of the following: canned sardines & chopped red onion, boiled eggs + ham, toasted almonds, toasted garlic bread.

Recipe Notes

Traditionally salmorejo calls for sherry vinegar. However, I found that balsamic works better, especially if your tomatoes are not very sweet.