Yellow Pepper Gazpacho
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Chilled yellow pepper soup with cucumber and tomato; smoky and fresh. Uses roasted peppers for deep flavor, blended with cucumber and white wine vinegar. Toasted bread cubes browned in olive oil, crunchy contrast. Tabasco to taste; adjust acidity and seasoning. Freezes tomato juice cubes for garnish, melts flavorfully in bowl. Easy swaps—use roasted red peppers or fresh plum tomatoes as needed. Hands-on bread toasts, skinning peppers with steam trick.
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
35 min
Servings:
8 servings
#Spanish cuisine
#cold soups
#summer recipes
#roasted peppers
#easy entertaining
Yellow peppers give charred sweetness, smoky backdrop after quick blistering. The tomato ice cubes—learned from too-watered-down soup trials—add sharp pops as they melt. Cucumbers refresh, soften the pepper bite; spring onions add subtle zing without overpowering; you can swap with mild shallots or scallions. Roasting peppers right, steam peel step—crucial to avoid stringy skin in mouth. Toasted bread cubes, not deep-fried; sufficient olive oil browns but keeps cubed structure. This takes practice; scorch and bitter spoil the crunch. Low on time? Skip freezing tomato juice but lose that zing on hot day. Tabasco’s a wild card—start minimal; you can always spike. Acid balance comes from vinegar and tomato acidity; if flat, add lemon juice instead. Some use sherry vinegar, but white wine vinegar is cleaner here. Trust your nose, eyes, and taste buds for grind control. Results vary with pepper ripeness and heat levels on your grill.
Ingredients
- 120 ml tomato juice
- 8 yellow bell peppers
- 5 ripe orange tomatoes
- 2 small Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, chopped
- 2 small spring onions, thinly sliced
- Tabasco to taste
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 25 ml white wine vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
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- Bread Cubes
- 5 slices country bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes
- 75 ml olive oil
About the ingredients
Peppers are the soul here—yellow sweet, but ripe orange or even red works if yellow unavailable. Remove all seeds and membrane for less bitterness. Tomatoes: fresh orange or ripe types preferred, plum or heirloom, not overripe or mushy. Cucumber should be peeled mostly to avoid bitter green edges and watery juice. Spring onions add freshness but mild; if you only have regular onions, blanch briefly to take heat off. Tomato juice frozen cubes—don’t use chunky or overly salted juice. Olive oil quality matters; fruity extra virgin adds depth versus neutral oils. Vinegar: white wine vinegar provides clean acidity; tweak with lemon juice if prefer sharp citrus bite. Bread cubes: country or rustic bread, avoid soft sandwich bread, it ruins crunch; remove crusts so crisp uniformity. Can substitute olive oil butter mix for toasting bread but expect different flavor and less healthful. Tabasco and seasoning—start low; much salt or hot sauce kills subtle fresh notes.
Method
- Freeze the tomato juice in ice cube trays beforehand. Use for garnish to add cooling acidity when serving.
- Preheat grill or barbecue hot, hotter than usual. Peppers need blistered, blackened skins without charring flesh too hard.
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes. For grilling: lay skin side down on grill to avoid flesh burning too fast. If using oven broiler, skin side up on baking tray works too.
- Grill until skins blacken fully, popping and blistering—listen for sizzle but avoid flame contact burning flesh burnt tastes. When done, seal peppers in airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap. Steam loosens the skin for easy peeling.
- Peel peppers carefully—skins should slip off with fingers. If sticky, a gentle rub with damp cloth helps. Removing skins is key; bitter charred skin ruins subtle pepper sweetness.
- In blender or food processor add peeled peppers with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, spring onions, vinegar, olive oil. Add frozen tomato ice cubes too—blend until smooth but not baby-food pureed. Leave some texture for mouth feel.
- Season with salt, black pepper, Tabasco sparingly, tasting as you go. Acid balance is tricky here—too much vinegar deadens, too little flat.
- Chill the soup in fridge. The flavor rests and melds. Usually 25-30 minutes chilling enough. Taste again before serving for last-minute tweaks.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet, medium-high heat. Add bread cubes. Toss often and watch closely; they burn fast if ignored. Golden and crisp is the goal; nowhere near black.
- Drain bread on paper towel. Salt lightly while hot. Serve soup cold with frozen tomato cubes floating on top. Add bread cubes separately in bowl so crunch stays crisp.
- Optional: drizzle extra olive oil or sprinkle fresh herbs if you want a twist.
Cooking tips
Freeze tomato juice well in trays before prepping peppers to save time during serving. Preheat grill or oven thoroughly to get good blister on peppers quickly; slower roasting steams rather than chars. Check peppers often; black skins peel easier when fully blistered. Putting peppers into closed container traps steam, loosening skin like magic; skip this and you fight stubborn skins. Peel carefully to avoid bitter burnt skin trapped. Blend peppers and cucumber first before adding onions for texture control. Tomato ice cubes add chill and a mild acidity burst when serving; can substitute crushed ice but dilutes flavor. Adjust salt and Tabasco after chilling, flavors evolve cold. For bread cubes, olive oil must be hot but not smoking before adding bread; toss constantly or cubes become greasy and limp. Use a slotted spoon to remove, drain well on paper towel. Serve soup chilled, bread cubes on side or atop last minute; keeps crunch. Store leftover soup tightly refrigerated up to 2 days; flavors mellow but fresh is better. If too thick, thin with chilled water or more tomato juice.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Freeze tomato juice into cubes before starting; adds chill and sharp acidity as cubes melt in bowl. Skip freezing? Soup loses zing on warm days. Roast peppers until skin fully blistered black; listen for that sizzle, but watch flame so flesh doesn’t burn or dry. Seal in airtight container or cover tightly after roasting to trap steam; this loosens skin and makes peeling smoother. Sticky skins? Wipe gently with damp cloth. Bitter charred peel ruins the bright pepper flavor. Peel carefully.
- 💡 Blend peeled peppers, chopped cucumber, fresh tomatoes, spring onions with vinegar and olive oil. Don’t puree to baby food smooth; keep some texture. Toss in frozen tomato cubes before blending for subtle cold bursts. Adjust salt, pepper, and Tabasco last, after chilling. Acid balance tricky: too much vinegar kills brightness; too little leaves flat. Lemon juice can rescue flatness. Sauce evolves cold; taste often while chilling, tweak slowly.
- 💡 Toasting bread cubes: heat olive oil first, medium-high but no smoking. Add cubes, toss constantly; bread burns fast and bitterness kills contrast. Remove at golden crisp, not dark. Drain well on paper towels, salt lightly while still hot. Serve bread on side or sprinkle on top last minute to keep crunch. Country or rustic bread best; soft sandwich bread ruins texture. Crust removal helps uniform toasting. Butter okay but changes flavor and richness.
- 💡 Roasting peppers faster with grill or broiler; grilling prefers skin side down to avoid flesh burning; broiler skin side up works too but slower. Blackened skin peels off quicker. Peppers undercooked make peeling tough, bitter skin stays harsh. Long steam post-roast crucial; skip and get stringy skins stuck in mouth. Steam step is magic for easy peeling. Check often, high heat but watch closely.
- 💡 Use yellow peppers mainly but orange or ripe red works well too; flavor changes slightly but still sweet and smoky. Cucumbers peeled mostly to avoid bitterness from green edges. Spring onions add mild sharpness but mild shallots or scallions fine swap. Tabasco adds punch but start minimal; too much kills subtle background notes. Tomato juice quality matters; avoid chunky or salty versions. White wine vinegar clean acid, sherry vinegar gives deeper notes but can dominate.
Common questions
How do I peel peppers easily?
Roast skins blistered black fully. Seal hot peppers airtight to steam 10-15 minutes. Steam softens skin; peel with fingers or damp cloth rub if sticky. If skin sticks, flap longer in steam container. Avoid charred bitter scraps stuck to flesh using this method.
Can I skip freezing tomato juice?
Yes, but soup loses cooling acidity bursts. Frozen cubes melt slowly, add subtle sharpness. Alternatively, crushed ice dilutes flavor fast. Substitutes—more vinegar or lemon juice but alters balance. Frozen juice is small extra step that pays off in serving temperature and taste contrast.
Bread cubes soggy or greasy, how fix?
Oil must be hot but not smoking before bread in pan. Toss constantly to toast evenly; remove at golden color not dark brown. Drain thoroughly on paper towels right out. Crust removal helps even cubes hold structure; rustic bread ideal. Burnt or soggy bread ruins texture contrast with soft soup.
How to store leftover gazpacho?
Keep in airtight container refrigerated up to 2 days. Flavors mellow but fresh better. Can thin thick soup later with cold water or tomato juice. Bread cubes store separately to keep crisp. Tomato juice cubes refreeze well. Avoid freezing whole gazpacho; texture changes. Re-taste seasoning after chilling again.
