Equipment
Ingredients
Base Soup
- 1000 g roma tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
- 200 g stale rustic white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks
- 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic, peeled
- 15 ml sherry vinegar
- 10 g kosher salt
Garnish
- 2 eggs
- 50 g jamón serrano, finely diced
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the eggs in a small saucepan covered with cold water. Bring to a boil at 100°C/212°F, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes to hard boil. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool completely, then peel and finely chop. Set aside.
Place the cored and chopped tomatoes into the high-speed blender. Blend on high until completely liquefied and smooth.
Add the torn chunks of stale bread directly into the tomato puree in the blender. Push them down slightly so they are submerged. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 10 minutes to allow the bread to hydrate and soften.
Add the garlic clove, kosher salt, and sherry vinegar to the soaked bread and tomato mixture. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and homogeneous.
Reduce the blender speed to medium-low. Remove the center cap of the blender lid and slowly stream in the 150ml of extra virgin olive oil. Continue blending just until the mixture thickens significantly and emulsifies into a creamy, pale orange soup.
Transfer the salmorejo to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill thoroughly and allow the flavors to meld.
Ladle the thoroughly chilled salmorejo into shallow bowls. Sprinkle the finely diced jamón and chopped hard-boiled egg evenly over the top of each portion. Finish with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.
Chef's Notes
- The hallmark of an authentic salmorejo is its thick, velvety texture, which should be rich enough to support the garnishes on its surface without them sinking.
- Removing the green germ from the center of the garlic clove is a crucial step for raw applications like this. It prevents the raw garlic flavor from becoming overwhelmingly sharp as the soup sits in the refrigerator.
- Because salmorejo relies on entirely raw ingredients, there is nothing to hide behind. Use the highest quality, fruitiest extra virgin olive oil and the most deeply ripened summer tomatoes you can find.
- If your blender is not particularly powerful, consider peeling your tomatoes first by briefly blanching them and slipping the skins off. This ensures a perfectly smooth final texture.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface to prevent oxidation.
