Salmorejo (Andalusian Cold Tomato and Bread Emulsion)
Salmorejo (Andalusian Cold Tomato and Bread Emulsion) - kvalifood.com
A thick, cold emulsion from Cordoba – ripe tomatoes, stale bread, olive oil, and garlic blended into a pale orange cream. Thicker than gazpacho, it should hold garnishes on top without them sinking. The authentic Cordoban version contains no vinegar.
Serve it cold as a starter or light meal, garnished with chopped jamon serrano and diced hard-boiled egg. It also works as a dip for bread or a cold sauce alongside fried fish.
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 kg ripe tomatoes, stems removed
- 200 g day-old dense white bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
- 120 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 garlic clove, peeled, green center removed
- salt, to taste
Garnish
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
- 80 g cured ham (jamon iberico or serrano), diced
Directions
Wash the tomatoes and cut into rough chunks. Blend until fully liquid. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing to extract all juice. Discard skins and seeds.
Place the torn bread in the strained tomato juice. Let soak for 10 minutes until completely saturated.
Add the garlic clove and salt. Blend at high speed until completely smooth and thick.
With the blender running at moderate speed, stream in the olive oil in a thin, steady pour. Continue blending for 1-2 minutes until the emulsion is smooth, creamy, and thick enough that a spoon dragged across the surface leaves a trail.
Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Serve cold. Top with diced hard-boiled egg, strips of jamon, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find. The dish has only four ingredients.
The bread should be genuinely stale (1-2 days old). Fresh bread makes the texture gummy.
No vinegar is needed if your tomatoes are properly ripe. If they lack acidity, a very small splash of sherry vinegar (1 tsp) can compensate.
See Also
Escabeche (Spanish Vinegar Marinade)
Mojo Verde (Canary Islands Green Sauce)
Ajada (Galician Garlic and Paprika Sauce)
Alioli (Traditional Spanish Garlic and Olive Oil Emulsion)
