Chilled Strawberry & Basil Gazpacho

Gazpacho is Spain's gift to a sweltering afternoon — a cold, raw soup that tastes of the garden and asks nothing of the stove. This version borrows that centuries-old technique and folds in something unexpected: ripe summer strawberries and fresh basil, which turn the familiar savory-sweet tomato base into something bright, fragrant, and quietly sophisticated. It's the taste of high summer, chilled and poured.

Peeling the Tomatoes

A silky gazpacho starts with skinned tomatoes, and the technique is quick and satisfying. Score a shallow "x" on the base of each plum tomato, drop them into boiling water for under a minute until the skins wrinkle and split, then plunge them straight into ice water. The skins slip right off. Halved and gently squeezed of their seeds, the peeled tomatoes blend into a smooth, clean base with none of the bitterness or stringy skin that would mar the finished soup.

Blending for Body, Reserving for Texture

The secret to gazpacho that eats like a soup rather than a smoothie is contrast. Pulse the peeled tomatoes with cucumber, pepper, and onion, add the pulsed strawberries, then set aside a full cup of that chunky mixture before pureeing the rest completely smooth with garlic, basil, and a slice of water-soaked bread — the bread is the traditional binder that gives gazpacho its velvety body. Fold the reserved chunks back in, season, and chill at least four hours so the flavors deepen and marry.

Jorj Morgan

Chilled Strawberry & Basil Gazpacho

This vibrant gazpacho celebrates summer's bounty, blending ripe plum tomatoes, sweet strawberries, and fresh basil into a beautifully smooth, chilled soup. A touch of red wine vinegar and a whisper of hot pepper sauce awaken the palate, offering a delightful and refreshing start to any meal.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Wait Time (Chilling) 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Appetizer, Soup

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

The Gazpacho Base

• 2 pounds small ripe plum tomatoes, about 16 (or about 8 medium to large plum tomatoes)
• ½ large English cucumber, cut into chunks, about 1 cup
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded cut into chunks, about 1 cup
• 1 small red onion, peeled and cut into chunks, about ½ cup
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, stems removed and halved, about 2 cups
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, about 2 teaspoons
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

The Seasoning the Sauce

• 1 slice white bread, soaked in water
• 1 cup homemade vegetable stock, or prepared low sodium vegetable broth
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 to 4 drops hot pepper sauce

Method

 

Prepping the Tomatoes

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove top. Fill another bowl with ice water.
2. Cut an “x” at one end of each tomato.
3. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and cook until the skin begins to wrinkle at the “x”, about 45 to 50 seconds.
4. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot and dunk into the ice water.
5. Peel the skin from the tomatoes. Cut each in half and squeeze to remove the seeds.

Blending the Gazpacho

1. Place the tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor. Add the cucumber, red pepper and onion.
2. Pulse until chunky. Pour the veggies into a large bowl.
3. Place the strawberries into the food processor and pulse.
4. (You want them chunky not pureed.) Add the strawberries to the veggies in the bowl.
5. Pour the strawberries and veggies back into the bowl of the food processor, reserving one cup.
6. Add the garlic and basil.
7. Squeeze the excess water from the bread and add to the food processor bowl.

Seasoning & Chilling

1. Pulse to puree the soup and then pour back into the large bowl.
2. Stir in the stock, vinegar and olive oil.
3. Stir in the chunky, 1 cup blend that you reserved.
4. Season with salt and hot pepper sauce.
5. Chill the soup for several hours.
6. Serve with a garnish of basil and a slice of strawberry.