Strawberry Gazpacho

Hot weather calls for no-cook and refreshing recipes, like this Strawberry Gazpacho. It’s quick and easy to put together and a delicious way to use ripe fruit and veggies (or fruit and veggies that don’t look that pretty). It truly tastes absolutely amazing (and pst! it’s naturally vegan, lactose free and can be made gluten-free).

I have grown up drinking traditional gazpacho. Believe it or not, when I was a kid I didn’t like raw tomato, or pepper, or cucumber at all, so you can imagine how happy I was when gazpacho was served for lunch or dinner… Until one day I tried my grandmother’s and it totally changed my mind. opinion (it’s not as if I liked cucumber or pepper today… but with the correct proportions, magic happens. PS: nowadays I love raw tomato though) .

So where does this version of Strawberry Gazpacho come from? When I lived in the UK, one day we had a meal at home for 12. It was summer and the weather was good, so gazpacho came to mind (I could make it in quantity and easily serve it in a glass so that there would be enough for everybody).

But, in the UK, tomatoes were so bland that I felt I had to think of something to make it taste good. Since what the English do have are spectacular strawberries, I thought it would be a good combo. I had already tried tomato and strawberries salad and it was a combination that I liked, so something good had to come out from it. And from there to today’s strawberry gazpacho recipe, which has also become a staple at home to change from the traditional one from time to time.

Some Notes on the Ingredients for this Strawberry Gazpacho

• Tomatoes: I use plum or pink varieties, but in any case be sure to use ripe tomatoes. Plum tomatoes are more fleshy so I usually need to add more water at the end to get the texture I like, while the pink has a sweet touch and contains more water.
• Strawberries: the special touch of this gazpacho. If you have some bruised strawberries in the fridge, this is your time to use them.
• Cucumber: i brings a perfect touch of freshness. I peel it and remove the seeds because that’s how I learned it from my grandmother who always told me that these make the gazpacho bitter.
• Bread: I prefer stale bread, another #nowaste ingredient. You can omit it for a gluten-free version, but the gazpacho may not look as bound later on.
• Sherry vinegar: it enhances the flavours and makes the tomato and strawberries release their sugars.
• Extra virgin olive oil: it’s necessary to emulsify this soup. If you don’t want the oil taste to be overpowering, use a mild variety such as Arbequina.
• Salt: key for seasoning.
• White Pepper: I love how it pairs strawberries, it provides a softer aroma than black pepper (if you don’t like it, omit it, no problem).

I don’t add bell pepper or onion to this version because I like the strawberry flavour to shine, but if you have these vegetables hanging around in the fridge and you want to try them in, I encourage you to do so. The beauty of gazpacho is also its versatility.

Glass Serving Details

This way of serving gazpacho couldn’t be simpler but it looks as if you were in a trendy restaurant or even in a cocktail bar. To do it, you just have to wipe a lemon or lime wedge around the rim of the glass (even water would do the trick, but citrus adds flavour) and then rim your glasses in a salty or spice mix you like. In the case of this strawberry gazpacho I think the following work especially well:

• Tajin, which consists of a mix of chili powder, lime, and salt.
• Salt with minced fresh mint.

Depending on what’s on hand, I’ll use one or the other. To top it up a notch, I place a strawberry on the rim. To do this, I make a small cut in the narrow tip of the strawberry, I then open the cut a little with my fingers and place it on the rim of the glass.

Tips & Tricks for a Perfect Gazpacho

If you don’t skip on the following, you’ll get a Strawberry Gazpacho with the most perfect texture:

• Pour the oil in a trickle fashion while blending the rest of the ingredients so that the gazpacho is well emulsified. This makes the emulsion more stable and it’s harder for the solids to separate from the liquids.
• Strain the gazpacho through a fine mesh to make it ultra silky. It’s not a difficult step and the texture improves to another level. Personally, I don’t like finding bits of seeds or tomato skin when I drink gazpacho, and it’s faster to strain than to peel all the tomatoes initially.
• Stir the gazpacho before serving so that everything is well combined (in gazpachos, over time, the liquids tend to separate from the solids).

More Tomato Recipes You’ll Love

• Easy Spinach Ricotta Pasta with Burst Tomatoes
• Pan-Fried Crusted Feta with Cherry Tomatoes
• Grilled Chicken Caprese

If you make this Strawberry Gazpacho recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rate it. Hearing from you is everything! Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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Strawberry Gazpacho

Hot weather calls for no-cook and refreshing recipes, like this Strawberry Gazpacho. It’s quick and easy to put together and a delicious way to use ripe fruit and veggies (or fruit and veggies that don’t look that pretty). It truly tastes absolutely amazing and serving it on a rimmed glass makes it look even better.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Author: Paula

Ingredients

Strawberry Gazpacho

• 700 g tomatoes - ripe, plum or pink varieties are perfect
• 300 g strawberries – plus 6 extra to serve
• Half cucumber
• 30 g of bread - preferably stale bread
• 20-30 ml sherry vinegar
• 150-300 ml water - preferably cold
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil

To Serve

• Tajín
• Salt
• Mint
• 1 lime wedge - or lemon

Instructions

Make the Gazpacho

• Start by preparing the fruits and vegetables, which should have been previously washed. Cut the tomato in half, remove the hard white part, the seeds (if there are some left no problem) and chop it – no need to peel it. Peel the cucumber, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Hull the strawberries and set aside.
• In a blender or bowl, add the bread, 20 ml of vinegar, and 150 ml of water. Then add the tomatoes, strawberries, cucumber, salt and white pepper. Blend and while blending pour the oil in a trickle fashion. Adjust the consistency by adding more water little by little and adjust the vinegar touch to taste with the remaining 10 ml. See notes.
• Strain the mixture and store in the fridge until ready to eat it.

To Serve

• In a small plate add 4 tablespoons of tajín or a mixture of semi-coarse salt with chopped fresh mint.
• Rim a glass with lemon or lime and then flip it onto the plate with the tajín or minty salt. Rotate the glass so that the spices get properly stuck.
• Make a small cut at the thin tip of 6 strawberries.
• Serve the gazpacho in the rimmed glasses, place a strawberry on the rim of each one and enjoy!

Notes

• If you have time, you can mix all the ingredients first and let the mixture sit for one hour so the salt and vinegar release the vegetables and fruits juices. This helps with flavour which gets more concentrated since thanks to the released juices you’ll need less water later on.