Salmorejo Panzanella Salad Recipe (No-Cook)

Name: This No-Cook Spanish-Inspired Meal Is Perfect for Summertime
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 loaf stale crusty, rustic bread (such as semolina Italian loaf or ciabatta bread); 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 1 clove garlic, grated on a Microplane; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound small heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 2 ounces sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces (about 1/2 cup); 3 large hard-cooked eggs , peeled and roughly chopped, divided; Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

You’re probably familiar with Spanish gazpacho, but how about its cousin salmorejo? Both are Spanish chilled tomato soups, but contain different elements. Whereas gazpacho usually includes a variety of vegetables in addition to tomatoes, salmorejo sticks to just tomatoes and garlic, which are blended together with stale bread to form a purée. The smooth soup is then dressed up with hard-boiled eggs and Jamón Serrano (Spanish cured ham) for an umami-packed, refreshing meal.

This recipe takes the flavors of salmorejo and turns them into a summery panzanella-style salad—no blending required. Here, the bread takes center stage, as a rustic loaf of Italian or ciabatta bread is torn into craggy pieces and tossed with juicy heirloom tomatoes and a tangy, garlic-spiked sherry vinegar dressing.

The traditional Serrano ham (or prosciutto) and hard-cooked eggs bulk up the salad into a light meal that’s perfect for summer evenings. It’s salty and funky from the cured meat, hearty and creamy from the eggs, zippy from the vinaigrette, and gorgeously juicy from the peak-season tomatoes. The bread absorbs it all, creating lots of contrasting chewy-yet-crusty texture.

Break out a bottle of Rioja or Manzanilla and enjoy all the flavors of Spain in this satisfying salad.

A salad with bread pieces, vegetables, and herbs served on a plate with wooden utensils — Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Tips for Making This Salmorejo Panzanella Salad

Juicy tomatoes are crucial here! You want the tomatoes to release some of their moisture as they sit in the vinaigrette. This is a great use for peak-season heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market, or you can use Campari or vine-ripened tomatoes from the supermarket; avoid super firm tomatoes.
Stale bread will soak up the juices from the tomatoes and the vinaigrette and hold its shape in the salad better than fresh. To stale your bread, leave it uncovered at room temperature overnight, or tear it up and bake at 350°F until it’s dried out, 15 to 20 minutes.
To make this recipe truly no-cook, pick up pre-hard-cooked eggs at the supermarket.
This recipe doesn’t hold well after you’ve added the bread to the salad, as it will eventually get soggy. To prep this recipe ahead, you can make and refrigerate the vinaigrette up to 5 days in advance and combine the tomatoes, jamón, and eggs in a separate container up to 2 days in advance, then combine with the bread and chill as directed.

A plate of panzanella salad with bread, tomatoes, cucumber, and hard-boiled eggs — Simply Recipes / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Margaret Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

More Spanish-Inspired Recipes

Salmorejo Panzanella Salad

Prep Time 15 mins

Chilling Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings 4 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

1 loaf stale crusty, rustic bread (such as semolina Italian loaf or ciabatta bread)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely grated
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound small heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 ounces sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces (about 1/2 cup)
3 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled and roughly chopped, divided
Roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, optional

Prepare the bread:

Tear the bread into 1-inch chunks until you have 4 cups.
Make the dressing and assemble the salad:

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, grated garlic, salt, and pepper. While whisking constantly, gradually add the oil until combined.

Add the torn bread, tomatoes, Serrano ham or prosciutto, and 1/2 cup of the chopped eggs to the bowl with the dressing. Toss gently to combine.
Chill:

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the bread softens slightly, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Serve:

Sprinkle the salad with the remaining chopped eggs, season with additional black pepper, and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
600	Calories
23g	Fat
75g	Carbs
22g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	600
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	30%
Saturated Fat 4g	22%
Cholesterol 149mg	50%
Sodium 1370mg	60%
Total Carbohydrate 75g	27%
Dietary Fiber 5g	19%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 22g
Vitamin C 16mg	79%
Calcium 241mg	19%
Iron 6mg	35%
Potassium 580mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.