Ajoblanco

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Prepare the soup base ingredients: tear the bread into small pieces, peel the garlic, and halve the grapes for garnish. If your garlic is mature, remove the green germ to keep the soup sweet and avoid harsh bitterness.

   50 g stale white bread, crusts removed2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, germ removed if large80 g green grapes, halved and seeded if needed
2. 2

   Place the blanched almonds, bread, garlic, cold water, sherry vinegar, and fine sea salt in a blender. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes until completely smooth and milky white. Scrape down once if needed; the smoother the puree at this stage, the silkier the final ajoblanco.

   100 g blanched almonds50 g stale white bread, crusts removed2 cloves (8 g) garlic cloves, germ removed if large350 ml cold water15 ml sherry vinegar4 g fine sea salt
3. 3

   With the blender running on medium, slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil to emulsify the soup. Blend for 30 to 45 seconds more until glossy and slightly thickened. Taste and adjust with a pinch more salt or a few drops more vinegar if needed.

   50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
4. 4

   For the most refined texture, pass the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl or jug, pressing well with a ladle. If it seems too thick, loosen with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water; it should be pourable but lightly creamy.

5. 5

   Serve immediately in chilled bowls or glasses. Top each portion with the halved green grapes and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Ajoblanco is best very cold, so if your ingredients were not well chilled, add a couple of ice cubes to the blender briefly before serving or chill the soup for a few minutes.

   80 g green grapes, halved and seeded if needed5 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Origin & History

Ajoblanco is a classic cold soup from Andalusia, especially associated with Malaga and Granada. Often considered an ancestor of other Iberian chilled soups, it combines almonds, bread, olive oil, garlic, and vinegar into a dish that reflects the region's long agricultural and culinary history.