Dani García, Andalusian chef with two Michelin stars, reveals his secret for gazpacho: “Never ever add water”

The chef of Smoked Room, Leña y Tragabuches shares his tricks to achieve a traditional gazpacho with silkiness and intense flavor

He Gazpacho is one of the most emblematic summer dishes in Spain. A simple cold soup in appearance, but it hides more technique than it seems. This shows it Dani García, chef Andalusian with two Michelin stars, who wanted to reveal his favorite recipe to prepare this classic of gastronomy, according to 'Infobae'.

The chef from Marbella, who runs restaurants such as Smoked Room, Firewood or Tragabuchesadmits that this was one of the first preparations he learned as a child. “It was one of the first dishes I started cooking,” he said in 'Make food', the RTVE program in which he has shared some of his culinary tips and secrets.

Basic and prohibited ingredients in your recipe

The Garcia's ingredient list It is surprising both for its simplicity and for its absences. for your Gazpacho uses vine-ripe tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green pepper, garlic, onion, sherry vinegar, salt and a good extra virgin olive oil.. “We don't need anything else,” says the chef, according to 'Infobae'.

Among the elements he rejects is cucumber, which he considers too invasive. “It is an ingredient that for me represents excessive gustatory aggressiveness,” he explains, although he concedes that whoever prefers it can add it personally. But if there is something that is strictly prohibited, it is water. “Never, ever, ever add water to gazpacho,” he insists. According to Garciathe natural liquid released by the tomatoes when macerating is more than enough to provide flavor and freshness.

The trick is in the maceration

Another key point of your recipe is the maceration process. For the chef, the tomato should always be the absolute protagonistwhile the rest of the ingredients work as a dressing that enhances its flavor. “The base is tomato and the rest is dressing. “What I want is a cold tomato soup seasoned with all these types of ingredients,” he summarizes as reported by 'Infobae'.

After adding the vinegar, salt and oil, Dani García recommends letting the mixture rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours.although the ideal is to do it throughout the night. “I'm going to macerate it to get all the water out of it. This is the water that interests me, not the tap water,” he says, convinced that this step is essential to achieve the appropriate intensity.

Emulsify patiently for the perfect texture

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The last phase, and perhaps the most important, is the emulsification. According to García, many make the mistake of mixing in a hurry and the result is a watery, bodyless gazpacho. “When it comes to emulsifying, we have the habit of being excessively impatient,” warns.

His advice is to leave work in a blender for at least five minutes to achieve the creamy and silky texture you are looking for. “I want a gazpacho with body. I want that silkiness in the mouth. I really want that when you put it in your mouth, it really tastes,” he says. The final touch consists of straining the mixture to eliminate skins or impurities. The result is a balanced gazpacho, with an intense flavor and without the need for added bread, since the absence of water avoids the need to thicken it, summarizes 'Infobae'.