Spanish Gazpacho Shooters with Smoked Salmon

Name: Spanish Gazpacho Shooters with Smoked Salmon
Prep time: 25 min
Yield: 12

Appetizers

Elegant chilled gazpacho served in shot glasses and topped with silky smoked salmon, perfect for sophisticated entertaining and summer parties.

Units:

Metric Imperial

Servings:

Prep: 25 Cook: 0

Soak 60g2 slices day-old white bread in water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid.
In a food processor, combine 1kg2 lbs ripe tomatoes, 1 large1 large cucumber, 1 medium1 medium red capsicum, ½ small½ small red onion, 2 cloves2 cloves garlic cloves, and soaked bread.
Add 3 tbsp3 tbsp sherry vinegar, 80ml⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp¼ tsp ground white pepper. Pulse until smooth.
Strain gazpacho through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract liquid. Discard pulp for the smoothest texture.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill for at least 2 hours until very cold.
Mix 120g4 oz cream cheese, 1 tbsp1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, and half the 2 tbsp2 tbsp fresh dill until smooth and pipeable.
Cut 200g7 oz smoked salmon into small decorative pieces or roll into rosettes.
To serve, pour gazpacho into shot glasses, filling ¾ full.
Top each shooter with a small dollop of dill cream cheese and a piece of smoked salmon.
Garnish with ½ small½ small cucumber, 20g¼ cup micro greens, remaining dill, and for garnishfor garnish freshly cracked black pepper.

Ingredients

id: ripe_tomatoes metric: 1kg imperial: 2 lbs name: ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
id: cucumber metric: 1 large imperial: 1 large name: cucumber, peeled and chopped
id: red_capsicum metric: 1 medium imperial: 1 medium name: red capsicum, chopped
id: red_onion metric: ½ small imperial: ½ small name: red onion, chopped
id: garlic metric: 2 cloves imperial: 2 cloves name: garlic cloves
id: day_old_bread metric: 60g imperial: 2 slices name: day-old white bread, crusts removed
id: sherry_vinegar metric: 3 tbsp imperial: 3 tbsp name: sherry vinegar
id: olive_oil metric: 80ml imperial: ⅓ cup name: extra virgin olive oil
id: tomato_paste metric: 1 tbsp imperial: 1 tbsp name: tomato paste
id: salt metric: 1 tsp imperial: 1 tsp name: salt
id: white_pepper metric: ¼ tsp imperial: ¼ tsp name: ground white pepper
id: smoked_salmon metric: 200g imperial: 7 oz name: smoked salmon, thinly sliced
id: cream_cheese metric: 120g imperial: 4 oz name: cream cheese, softened
id: lemon_juice metric: 1 tbsp imperial: 1 tbsp name: fresh lemon juice
id: fresh_dill metric: 2 tbsp imperial: 2 tbsp name: fresh dill, chopped
id: cucumber_garnish metric: ½ small imperial: ½ small name: cucumber, finely diced for garnish
id: micro_greens metric: 20g imperial: ¼ cup name: micro greens
id: cracked_pepper metric: for garnish imperial: for garnish name: freshly cracked black pepper

Soak {day_old_bread} in water for 5 minutes, then squeeze out excess liquid.
In a food processor, combine {ripe_tomatoes}, {cucumber}, {red_capsicum}, {red_onion}, {garlic}, and soaked bread.
Add {sherry_vinegar}, {olive_oil}, {tomato_paste}, {salt}, and {white_pepper}. Pulse until smooth.
Strain gazpacho through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract liquid. Discard pulp for the smoothest texture.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Chill for at least 2 hours until very cold.
Mix {cream_cheese}, {lemon_juice}, and half the {fresh_dill} until smooth and pipeable.
Cut {smoked_salmon} into small decorative pieces or roll into rosettes.
To serve, pour gazpacho into shot glasses, filling ¾ full.
Top each shooter with a small dollop of dill cream cheese and a piece of smoked salmon.
Garnish with {cucumber_garnish}, {micro_greens}, remaining dill, and {cracked_pepper}.

Tomato Quality: Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes available. Peak summer tomatoes make the biggest difference.

Straining Options: For a rustic texture, skip straining. For ultra-smooth gazpacho, strain twice through increasingly fine meshes.

Make-Ahead: Gazpacho improves after chilling overnight. Make up to 2 days ahead for best flavor development.

Serving Style: Use shot glasses, small cups, or even test tubes for dramatic presentation at parties.