Chef Isabel
Aguaillo de la Sierra de Cadiz
Aguaillo is from the Sierra de Cadiz: cold water, stale bread, garlic, oil and vinegar, closer to a field drink than a bowl of soup, and sharp enough to wake you in the heat.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Salmorejo Cordobés
Created by
Salmorejo Cordobés is Córdoba's thick cold tomato soup, made with bread, garlic, and olive oil, no cucumber and no pepper, blended until pale and spooned with egg and jamón.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Make Ahead
Budget Friendly
Outdoor Dining
20 min
Active Time
10 min cook•2 hr 30 min total
Yield4 servings
Salmorejo Cordobés is Córdoba's cold soup, Andaluz but not gazpacho. It is thicker, paler, and quieter: ripe tomato, day-old bread, garlic, salt, and olive oil, blended until it eats from a spoon. No cucumber. No pepper. Those belong to another bowl.
The tomatoes decide when you make it. If they aren't worth eating raw, wait. A hard winter tomato will not become generous because you shouted at it with a blender. Use heavy summer tomatoes, bread with a close crumb, and good olive oil. The method that matters is the oil: pour it in slowly while the blender runs, so it emulsifies and the salmorejo turns dense and silky instead of separating.
If you can't find telera cordobesa, use a day-old white country loaf with a firm crumb, not sourdough so sharp it takes over the bowl. Outside Spain, jamón serrano is the honest reach; jamón ibérico is lovely if you have it, but not required. The egg should be chopped small, the jamón smaller, and the soup cold enough to steady the spoon. No hace falta haber pisado España. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and it will come out.
Salmorejo belongs to Córdoba, where the hot inland summer made cold bread-and-oil soups part of the everyday table long before the tomato joined them. Its older shape was a mortar paste of bread, garlic, salt, vinegar, and oil, close to the family of Andalusian majados, things pounded by hand until they fed a working household. The tomato gave salmorejo its colour, but the bread and olive oil kept its true character: thick, filling, and eaten with a spoon.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
very ripe tomatoes
Quantity
1kg
cored and roughly chopped
day-old white country bread or telera cordobesa
Quantity
200g
crust removed, torn
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
100ml, plus 1 tablespoon to finish
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
germ removed
fine sea salt
Quantity
8g, plus more to taste
large eggs
Quantity
2
jamón serrano or jamón ibérico
Quantity
60g
finely chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| very ripe tomatoescored and roughly chopped | 1kg |
| day-old white country bread or telera cordobesacrust removed, torn | 200g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 100ml, plus 1 tablespoon to finish |
| garlicgerm removed | 1 small clove |
| fine sea salt | 8g, plus more to taste |
| large eggs | 2 |
| jamón serrano or jamón ibéricofinely chopped | 60g |
Equipment Needed
- •Blender or food processor
- •Fine grater or knife for tomato prep
- •Small saucepan for eggs
- •Shallow serving bowls
Instructions
- 1
Soften the bread
Put the torn bread in a large bowl. Grate or blend the chopped tomatoes briefly, then pour the tomato pulp over the bread and press it down so every piece is soaked. Leave it for 10 minutes. This is what gives salmorejo its thick, spoonable body, not cucumber, not pepper, and not a lot of water.
- 2
Boil the eggs
Put the eggs in a small pan of cold water, bring to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Cool under cold water, peel, and chop them small. Keep them aside with the chopped jamón for the finish.
- 3
Blend the base
Add the soaked bread and tomato to a blender with the garlic and salt. Blend until completely smooth, a full 2 minutes if your blender allows it. Scrape the sides once. The mixture should already look thick and red-orange, with no rough bread left.
- 4
Emulsify the oil
With the blender running, pour in the 100ml olive oil slowly, in a thin stream. That slow pour is the step that decides the dish: the oil emulsifies with the tomato and bread, turning the salmorejo pale, dense, and silky instead of oily at the edges. Taste for salt.
- 5
Chill and finish
Chill for at least 2 hours, until very cold. Serve in shallow bowls, thick enough that a spoon leaves a soft trail. Crown each bowl with chopped egg, chopped jamón, and a small thread of olive oil. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chef Tips
- •Make this in tomato season, when the fruit is heavy, fragrant, and good enough to eat raw. Out of season, Córdoba has other cold bowls, but salmorejo should wait.
- •Telera cordobesa is the bread of the dish: white, tight-crumbed, and able to drink the tomato without turning gluey. A day-old white country loaf is the useful substitute. Avoid strong sourdough; it makes the bowl taste of the bread, not Córdoba.
- •Do not add water unless your blender absolutely refuses to move, and then add only a tablespoon at a time. Salmorejo is spoon food, not a drink.
- •If raw garlic worries you, use half a small clove first. You can add more after blending, but you can't take it back once it bites through the whole bowl.
- •Chill before the final seasoning. Cold dulls salt, and tomato changes after resting, so taste again just before serving.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the salmorejo up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Stir well before serving, then taste again for salt.
- •Boil and chop the eggs ahead, but keep the egg and jamón separate until serving so the top stays clean and fresh.
- •Leftover salmorejo keeps 2 days covered and cold. If it thickens too much, loosen with a spoonful of tomato juice, not water, if you have it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 370g)
Calories
490 calories
Total Fat
33 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
27 g
Cholesterol
105 mg
Sodium
1450 mg
Total Carbohydrates
35 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
14 g
Where cooking meets culture.
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary ExplorerMore from Andalusian Cold Soups & Gazpachos
Browse the full collection
Chef Isabel
Ajilimojili de Jaen
Ajilimojili is Jaen's tomato-free cold soup: potato, roasted red pepper, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar pounded into a cool, silky spoonful.
Chef Isabel
Ajoblanco Extremeño
Ajoblanco Extremeño is the poor-kitchen cold soup of Extremadura: bread, garlic, oil, egg yolk, vinegar, and icy water, with no almonds. Whisk it slowly and serve it bien fresquito.
Chef Isabel
Ajoblanco Malagueño
Ajoblanco Malagueño is Andalucía before the tomato: raw almonds, bread, garlic, oil, vinegar, and cold water blended smooth enough to drink, then served with sweet muscatel grapes.