Chilled refreshing gazpacho soup made with fresh ripe tomatoes and peaches and topped with charred kernels of corn for a summer dish that is dolly my baby damn good!
What is gazpacho?
Gazpacho at its core is a chilled tomato and vegetable soup common in Spain, specifically the Andalusia region. Vegetables typically include cucumber, red onions, and peppers. As more people around the world have become familiar with gazpacho soup, we’ve started to see different variations. I make a mean watermelon gazpacho because I had very ripe peaches on hand I was inspired to do a peach-tomato version.
I picked up some white peaches (regular peaches work fine too) from the farmers market. I had no idea what they were, but my buddy Ryan from F-Stop Farms explained them to me and I knew immediately what I’d do with them. Hell, I needed something cool and refreshing as a summer breeze; it was a typical 100 degree+ blazing Austin summer day I Ryan had fresh herbs, ripe tomatoes, plus the peaches. With so many peaches you can say, I had Georgia on my mind and I guess Spain too.
I first learned of gazpacho soup during the Summer several years ago when I coached basketball in Spain. I spent my downtime bouncing around from little local restaurant to the next in Malaga. When in Spain do what the Spaniards do. I had about 3 bowls that first time and proceeded to have gazpacho daily for the remainder of my stay. The versions I had were tangy, refreshing, and complex. The best part was the texture. The soup was smooth but had bits and pieces of the crisp cucumbers and onions that made for crunchy experience.
What Should Be The Consistency of Gazpacho?
Most gazpacho soup recipes call for straining the pureed vegetables in a fine-mesh sieve, which eliminates all the skin and pulpy elements of the ingredients leaving behind a silky smooth bowl of freshness.
Less often but still common is gazpacho that skews way to the chunky side, damn near salsa-like. It’s a personal preference thing. I fall somewhere in the middle. I find the strained version too refine at times and missing some character in the form of mouthfeel and experience.
Taste-wise both are great, so there is no compromise there. For those times when I go with the smoother version, I tend to garnish with crunchy ingredients. For this peach gazpacho soup recipe, I used reserved onions, charred fresh corn kernels, and coarse black pepper.
What kind of tomatoes should I use?
It doesn’t really matter much as long as their ripe and flavorful. Admittedly I’m not a big fan of grocery store tomatoes. They’re fine as a secondary and tertiary ingredient, but don’t pack enough flavor to be the star, which they are meant to be in a gazpacho.
I grow my own or buy from farmers market guys where I know I’m getting just picked tomatoes that haven’t traveled for. If you don’t have the luxury of either try to find an heirloom variety in your grocery store. They’re usually the ugly, imperfectly shaped and multi-colored ones vs. perfectly round and red.
What Toppings Should I Use?
Many recipes call for reserving some of the onions and cucumbers in the base recipe and chopping them up to use for toppings. I often do this, but for this recipe decided to take a different approach. I wanted crunch plus a bit of "grill" essence to make this even more Summerish so I used fresh kernels that I charred in a skillet. Corn and peaches make a great combination. I also added avocado and more fresh basil.
Can gazpacho be made ahead of time?
Gazpacho can definitely be made ahead of time, and I actually recommend it. The additional time gives the different flavors the opportunity to blend and come together even more. Two days ahead of serving would be my guidance. Just be mindful if you’re using any kind of chili peppers, as the longer they sit, the spicier they get.
Can you freeze gazpacho?
You can freeze gazpacho and save for another day, especially if you have leftovers. Be warned though, freezing will rob the tomatoes of some of its flavor.
Gazpacho Soup Cooking Tips
- No need to peel the tomatoes, but remove the seeds plus the core, especially any visible white pieces as the flavor can be pretty bitter which we don’t want.
- Salt your vegetables before putting them in the blender. Salting helps the vegetables release their liquids. It’s basic osmosis from your high school chemistry class. I think osmosis was the one science term I remember lol! Salt in laymen terms brings out the natural flavors of the vegetables.
- For chunky version, reserve small portions of each of the vegetables, chop them finely, and add back to the soup after the puree step.
- Use as much or as little olive oil as you like. If you’re counting calories then definitely use less. When adding olive oil, drizzle it in slowly while churning the soup in the blender to keep it smooth and emulsified.
- You can change the consistency if it's not to your liking. If it’s too thick then thin-out with tomato juice. For thicker soup add bread (only the white part) and blend.
- Spices add a lot of character, complexity, and flavor so experiment with different ones and quantities
- Add bread for a true authentic gazpacho. Go with some leftover crusty white bread to thicken and get the texture right; just don’t use the crusts. If I add bread I let it soak in the gazpacho to soften for a few minutes before blending.
- Cold soups actually require more seasoning than hot ones so amp up the seasonings including spices, herbs, olive oil, and vinegar. The olive oil helps with texture (makes it creamy) and taste while the sherry vinegar adds extra acidity which gives the gazpacho that zest!
- To get the soup really chilled serve them in bowls that have been in the freezer for an hour or so.
How To Serve Gazpacho
More often than not, I serve gazpacho as a soup. However, the beauty of it is the myriad ways you can enjoy it. Occasionally for dinner parties or to keep the kids busy I serve it up in shot glasses as shooters. Shooters make for good mood setters and can be either used to prime or cleanse the palate. For those of you who like vegetable drinks, enjoying it in a smoothie form is a nice move.
Making Peach Gazpacho Soup
If you make this super quick peach gazpacho recipe please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated monthly playlists.
For another great gazpacho recipe try this Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb Peaches pitted and halved
- 1 lb Tomatoes core and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Basil
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 shallot roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Honey
- 1 ear of corn
- 1 small avocado
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, peaches, shallot, vinegar, basil, and honey to a blender. Puree the ingredients and slowly add olive oil while pureeing. Force puree through a medium-mesh sieve into a large glass measure, discarding solids. Stir in water to desired consistency.
- Refrigerate the soup for 30 minutes or more and serve in chilled bowls.
- Remove the kernels from the cob by holding the cob perpendicular to a bowl or bundt pan. Using a knife slice down on all sides until kernels are all removed to the bowl/pan. Heat skillet on high heat and add the kernels. Let kernels sit for 30 seconds and stir frequently to ensure kernels get a good charring.
- Top the soup with fresh chopped basil, diced avocado, and charred kernels.
David M Abner
Tuesday 27th of August 2019
loved the idea upon reading... enamored with he taste after preparing it!!! How do I get an even stronger peach flavor into it without adding substantially more volume?
Marwin Brown
Thursday 29th of August 2019
For more peach flavor you really have few options. 1. - use more ripe peaches (i was lucky to get some right off the tree an hour before making the dish) 2. tweak the ratio of tomatoes to peaches in favor of more peaches