Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1000 g ripe roma tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
- 150 g cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 100 g green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 50 g red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
Base and Seasoning
- 50 g stale white rustic bread, crusts removed and torn into chunks
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30 ml sherry vinegar
- 5 g fine sea salt
- ml cold water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 233 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 21 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 568 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Potassium
- 734 mg
- Calcium
- 55 mg
- Iron
- 1.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 40 mg
- Phosphorus
- 93 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 57 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 18 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.09 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.07 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 21 mcg
- Water
- 94 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the torn stale bread in a small bowl, cover with cold water, and let soak for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and set the bread aside.
Combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, smashed garlic, soaked bread, sherry vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well.
Allow the mixed vegetable bowl to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to draw out the natural juices from the tomatoes.
Transfer the vegetable mixture and all accumulated juices to a blender. Puree on high speed until completely broken down and smooth.
With the blender running on a medium-low speed, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil in a thin, steady stream until the soup emulsifies and turns a creamy, lighter orange-pink color.
Pass the blended soup through a fine mesh strainer into an airtight container, using a spatula to press the liquid through and extract maximum flavor. Discard the remaining fibrous pulp.
Cover the container tightly and refrigerate the soup for at least 4 hours to chill completely and allow the flavors to harmonize.
Stir the chilled soup well and taste. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt or a splash of sherry vinegar if needed, as cold temperatures dull flavors. Ladle into chilled bowls and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- The quality of the extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar will make or break this raw soup; use the absolute best you can afford.
- For the silkiest emulsion, ensure the olive oil is drizzled in extremely slowly while the blender runs, allowing the oil droplets to suspend perfectly in the tomato water.
- Always taste and adjust seasoning after chilling. Cold temperatures numb the palate, meaning a soup that tasted perfectly salted at room temperature will taste under-seasoned once cold.
- Do not skip the bread; it provides essential starch that helps stabilize the olive oil emulsion and gives the soup its iconic creamy body without relying on dairy.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Flavors meld and improve on the second day.
Troubleshooting
Soup is too thick after blending
Cause: Tomatoes lacked sufficient juice or too much bread was used
Fix: Blend in ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached
Prevention: Weigh bread accurately and select very ripe, heavy-for-their-size tomatoes
Color is dull brown instead of vibrant red or orange
Cause: Too much green bell pepper was used compared to the tomatoes
Fix: Cannot be fixed cosmetically, but the flavor will remain delicious
Prevention: Strictly maintain the high ratio of red tomatoes to green vegetables
Flavors taste flat or muted
Cause: Under-seasoned or tasted while warm instead of cold
Fix: Stir in an extra pinch of salt and a few drops of sherry vinegar right before serving
Prevention: Season generously and chill completely before the final tasting
Cultural Context
Originating in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, Gazpacho was traditionally a humble meal to hydrate and nourish field workers under the hot sun. Originally pounded in a mortar with just stale bread, garlic, oil, vinegar, and water, the iconic tomatoes and peppers were only integrated after their introduction from the Americas.
