Gazpacho, Kicked Up A Notch

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Gazpacho, Kicked Up A Notch

I like my gazpacho chunky and spicy, with a strong hit of Meyer lemon juice. I’ve been working on my recipe for years, tweaking it here and there. It remains my absolute favorite chilled soup for warm weather. It is supposed to hit 90 degrees today, so I made a batch this morning – with a new twist.

When we were in Palm Springs last month, our friends took us to a terrific restaurant, Spencer’s, where we dined outside in a lovely, tree-covered patio. The spring weather was delightful and the food was very, very good. Susan and I chose the gazpacho for a starter, and it came with a small mound of succulent lobster. Snazzy, yes?

Spencer’s inspired me to ramp up my gazpacho recipe. I added fresh shrimp, lobster being a bit over budget. Adding protein turns this soup into a more substantial dish. You can add as few or as many shrimp as you choose. The gazpacho keeps well in the fridge for about a week, but I suggest you add the shrimp only when you serve the soup.

Play with your hot sauce until you get the amount of heat that tickles your palate. At our house, I only add it to my bowl, since Larry chokes on spicy stuff. I also find that the lemon juice is tangy enough for me to hide the salt shaker, but suit yourself.

TIP: Local tomatoes are nowhere near in season here, but any good tomato works. I love to play with heirloom varieties, but will wait a couple months for those beauties. As always, I prefer to use all organic vegetables.

Gazpacho, Kicked Up A Notch
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Prep time: 
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Serves: 8
 
Chunky, spicy gazpacho, amped up with fresh shrimp.
Ingredients
  • 4 large tomatoes, cored and cut into large chunks
  • 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks
  • 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1 English or hothouse cucumber, seeded and cut into large chunks
  • 4 cloves of peeled garlic
  • ½ cup fresh dill or basil, roughly chopped
  • 1 46-ounce jar of low sodium vegetable juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup Meyer lemon juice (2 lemons or 1 large)
  • Sriracha or other hot sauce, to taste
  • Cooked shrimp, halved horizontally
  • Dill sprig (optional garnish)
Instructions
  1. Using a food processor, first chop the tomatoes and add to a large, non-reactive bowl. Next, chop the peppers, then the cucumber, then the onion, adding each vegetable to the same large bowl. I like the veggies finely chopped, not puréed.
  2. Chop the garlic and dill in the processor and add to bowl.
  3. Pour in the vegetable juice and stir to combine.
  4. Add the olive oil, lemon juice and hot sauce. Stir and chill several hours before serving.
  5. Add shrimp and dill garnish to each individual bowl when serving.

 

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25 Responses to Gazpacho, Kicked Up A Notch

  1. Lynda - TasteFood May 3, 2013 at 1:10 pm #

    I love my gazpacho chunky too and most certainly kicked up. Perfect for the heat today.

    • Liz May 3, 2013 at 1:14 pm #

      Thanks, Lynda – we had it for lunch. Heat is creeping up this afternoon.

  2. EA-The Spicy RD May 3, 2013 at 1:16 pm #

    Gorgeous soup! I’m not a shrimp eater, but I have some crabmeat in the fridge that this would be perfect with. My hubby can’t stand cold soup, so it just means more for me 🙂 Enjoy the beautiful weather we are having!

    • Liz May 3, 2013 at 1:37 pm #

      Crab sounds even better –

  3. mare May 3, 2013 at 1:59 pm #

    Love, love, love this gazpacho…my favorite soup.

    • Liz May 3, 2013 at 2:28 pm #

      Me too, Mare – is it warm in Napa?

  4. Amanda @ The Anti Mom May 3, 2013 at 4:49 pm #

    i have been looking for a good gazpacho recipe-definitely trying this! so happy to have found your site and this recipe, can’t wait to see more!!

    • Liz May 3, 2013 at 4:51 pm #

      Amanda, thanks for making my day – welcome…

  5. Beth (OMG! Yummy) May 4, 2013 at 11:59 am #

    My son loves gazpacho – the rest of the clan not so much. I will forward this to him. What a great dish this would be here today – heading into the 90s!

    • Liz May 4, 2013 at 4:28 pm #

      It hit mid-80s here yesterday – much cooler today.

  6. Averie @ Averie Cooks May 4, 2013 at 4:20 pm #

    Well it sure cooled off from Thurs/Fri til today…I wish it was still hot 🙂 This gazpacho would be perfect on a nice hot day! I love salsas and things like this on the chunky side as well!

    • Liz May 4, 2013 at 4:28 pm #

      I know, Averie, I am so ready for summer!

  7. Wendy Read May 5, 2013 at 8:00 am #

    This looks delightful Liz! My Farmer’s Market booth is located right next to our local hydroponic tomato growers, so I have access to the most gorgeous heirloom tomatoes for 9 months of the year–I know what I will be making now! The shrimp is a great addition as would be the crab for sure. Gorgeous photo too.

    • Liz May 5, 2013 at 8:52 am #

      Lucky you, Wendy – enjoy those heirlooms –

  8. Jayne May 5, 2013 at 2:00 pm #

    Very summery! Love the shrimp addition! Hope it’s a little cooler for you now.

    • Liz May 5, 2013 at 2:25 pm #

      It is extremely damp and cool – again – and very cloudy.

  9. sippitysup May 8, 2013 at 11:08 am #

    I’ve been to Spencers! I’m please to know it’s gazppacho season again. Of course it’s always gazpacho season in Palm Springs. GREG

    • Liz May 8, 2013 at 12:18 pm #

      We loved Palm Springs – I’m ready to go back, heat and all – so many restaurants and lovely shopping too.

  10. Oui, Chef May 8, 2013 at 6:35 pm #

    Beauty shot, Liz! I too like my gazpacho spicy and chunky, and the addition of the shrimp is inspired. I’ll be right over!

  11. siba-rita May 10, 2013 at 2:58 pm #

    Looks great, but I definitely won’t call that gazpacho. It looks half way between a mexican salsa and a spanish “pipirrana”. Gazpachos are never spicy in Spain nor contain dill or basil! I believe it’s just weird for me linking that recipe to the name.
    Otherwise looks really nice 🙂

    • Liz May 10, 2013 at 3:39 pm #

      Thanks for your opinion. I am used to being served spicy gazpacho, but have only ordered/tasted it in this country.

  12. Barbara Cooks September 30, 2013 at 1:48 pm #

    I love gazpacho and its many variations. This one sounds yummy, especially because of the spice. I also love that you used low sodium vegetable soup and dill. Yum!

    • Liz September 30, 2013 at 3:23 pm #

      Thanks – we watch salt since my husband’s heart attack – he’s doing very well and our palates adjusted quickly.

  13. Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence September 30, 2013 at 2:15 pm #

    Gazpacho on a patio in Palm Springs? Sounds like heavy! I love the addition of meyer lemon.

    • Liz September 30, 2013 at 3:21 pm #

      Thanks, Brandon – we fell in love with Palm Springs – so many terrific restaurants as well.

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