Strawberry Salmorejo: A Cold Soup For Any Occasion

I wasn’t prepared for how much cold soup people eat in southern Spain.

It’s everywhere! There are so many different kinds of soups here, too. Aside from the famous gazpacho, you also have cold soups based on almonds (check out my ajoblanco recipe if that intrigues you!), kale, beetroot, and more.

You’ll find locals eating them with spoons, drinking them from glasses, and pouring them over meats, fishes, bread, and children.

But my favourite of the cold soup gang has always been salmorejo.

This tomato soup is deliciously thick and creamy, but without any cream at all! All you need is extra virgin olive oil and the will to use it en masse.

So, after a few summers spent gorging myself on salmorejo, I thought I was pretty much an expert on the stuff. But as with all things in Spain, there’s always something left to learn!

And so, at a bar in Seville that knew of my penchant for this soup, I was introduced to something that left me speechless with the pleasure of tasting something perfect. It was a strawberry salmorejo.

It was still garlicky, savoury, and with a wallop of umami from tomato, but had a juicy freshness and slight herbaceous sweetness from local Huelvan strawberries. As soon as I got home, I started work on the recipe. 

A Taste of Spring

Strawberries come into season in Spain around mid-February, but are best in March. Finally, an excuse to eat a cold soup outside of summer!

Try this dish as an appetiser, a light meal, or as part of a tapas meal.

Print Recipe

Strawberry Salmorejo Soup

Strawberry salmorejo is a Spanish tapas classic, perfect for a quick and easy meal in spring and summer!

Course

Appetiser

Cuisine

Spanish

Keyword

soup, strawberry, tapas, tomato

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 500 g tomatoes peeled
• 300 g strawberries halved, stem removed
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp basil leaves roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 125 g day-old bread
• 1 pinch salt
• 125 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt to serve
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds to serve

Course Appetiser Cuisine Spanish Keyword soup, strawberry, tapas, tomato Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 500 g tomatoes peeled 300 g strawberries halved, stem removed 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp basil leaves roughly chopped 1 tbsp sherry vinegar 125 g day-old bread 1 pinch salt 125 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt to serve 2 tbsp sunflower seeds to serve

Instructions

1. 1. In a food processor, add the tomatoes, strawberries, garlic, and bread. Blend to combine.
2. Once the mixture has had time to sit, start to blend it again. While you're blending, slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor. Continue until all the olive is combined. The mixture should start to thicken up as the olive oil emulsifies.
3. Place the finish soup in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before serving. To serve, divide the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining basil, the Greek yoghurt, sunflower seeds, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe Notes

Notes: To cut down on waste, I prefer to use tinned/canned tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, first remove the skin by scoring the base of the fruit with a knife, and then blanching them in boiling water before placing in an ice bath. The skin should peel off easily.