Shrimp Gazpacho

The best word to describe shrimp gazpacho? Refreshing! It’s like classic gazpacho—a smooth, sippable tomato soup served chilled—but more exciting due to the addition of texture and even more flavor from sweet shrimp, crunchy vegetables and creamy avocados. Making gazpacho with shrimp transforms the light summer recipe into a dish filling enough to serve as an entree. As shrimp lovers know, the sweet seafood naturally complements the savory flavor of tomatoes and can stand up to extra spice, which you’ll find in this recipe.

Even though it’s a fancied-up version, shrimp gazpacho is still one of our most simple soup recipes, calling for just one bowl and a few moments to prepare. While many gazpacho recipes use a slice of bread to thicken the broth, there’s enough going on here that you can easily skip that step—so you don’t even need a blender to make this shrimp gazpacho soup recipe.

Shrimp Gazpacho Ingredients

• Spicy hot V8 juice: This simplified recipe calls for spicy V8 juice instead of the pureed tomatoes often used in gazpacho. It’s got plenty of tomato flavor without the need to peel and seed tomatoes.
• Cold water: Gazpacho should always be served cold. Adding cold water easily adjusts the soup’s texture, making it sippable but not too thin.
• Lime juice: Zesty lime juice adds a needed kick of acid, brightening the shrimp’s sweet flavor.
• Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro here, not dried. You can’t beat the vibrant flavor of fresh herbs.
• Seasonings: Keep things simple with just a dash of salt and hot sauce.
• Cooked shrimp: You can purchase already-cooked shrimp in the freezer section at the grocery store. Simply allow them to defrost in the refrigerator before preparing the soup. If you buy raw shrimp, you’ll have to peel, rinse and boil them. Pick up a bag that has about 31 to 40 shrimp per pound.
• Cucumber: Diced cucumber adds fresh, cooling flavor to the spicy soup.
• Tomatoes: While we use V8 juice for the broth, our recipe calls for chopped tomatoes as well for additional texture. Use fresh, aromatic Roma tomatoes if you can. If you’re making this recipe outside of tomato season, cherry tomatoes are a good bet.
• Avocados: Ripe avocados add a creamy texture that mellows the spice.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the soup base

In a large nonreactive bowl, mix the V8 juice, water, lime juice, cilantro, salt and hot pepper sauce.

Editor’s Tip: Acidic tomatoes can react with some materials, especially metals, so use a glass or ceramic bowl.

Step 2: Add the shrimp and vegetables

Gently stir in the shrimp, chopped tomatoes, diced cucumbers and chopped avocados.

Step 3: Chill the soup

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Serve cold.

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Shrimp Gazpacho Variations

• Dial down the spice: Don’t love spicy food? Replace the hot V8 with the classic vegetable juice.
• Turn up the heat: Alternatively, heat lovers could garnish the soup with minced jalapeno or serrano peppers.
• Play with garnishes: Any color of diced sweet bell pepper, minced onion or even a scattering of chopped mango would be tasty toppings for shrimp gazpacho. Chives or parsley would be fitting too.
• Swap the acid: Trade the lime for red wine or balsamic vinegar for a bright kick of flavor.

How to Store Shrimp Gazpacho

Store gazpacho in the refrigerator, in a covered bowl or an airtight storage container.

How long does shrimp gazpacho last?

You can safely store gazpacho with shrimp for up to two days in the fridge. If you wait longer than that to serve the rest of the soup, the bright, fresh flavors that drive the soup will get dull.

Shrimp Gazpacho Tips

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What’s the best way to cook shrimp for gazpacho?

While you can generally find precooked shrimp at the store, it’s also easy to cook shrimp yourself. If you buy raw shrimp, you’ll need to clean, peel and devein the shrimp before cooking. First, remove the heads and legs. Then, tug off the shell. If you can see a strong dark line running down the shrimp, that is the vein. It’s not essential to remove, but if you’d rather take it out, simply use the tip of a knife to expose the vein and pull it free. Rinse the shrimp in cool water, and then you’re ready to cook them. For this recipe, use a simple method for cooking shrimp. We suggest boiling them on the stovetop for two or three minutes until pink. Allow them to cool completely before using in the soup, since shrimp gazpacho is served cold.

What’s the best way to cut an avocado?

It can be easy to cut yourself when trying to slice an avocado on your palm. To cut an avocado safely, set it upright on a cutting board and carefully cut from stem to base, pressing the knife all the way to the pit. Make four vertical slices, so the avocado will be in quarters. Gently tug the pieces apart, and the pit should fall free. Use your fingers to peel away the skin. Slice the quartered sections as thin as you like.

What can you serve with shrimp gazpacho?

Our shrimp gazpacho soup recipe makes a delicious, easy summer dinner. Serve it alongside a loaf of crusty bread and a green salad to enjoy on the most sweltering of days. The soup also makes a tasty and fancy shrimp appetizer. Serve it before a seafood recipe for dinner, such as seared salmon or scallops with pasta. Or, scoop the soup into small bowls and serve it as part of a spread of appetizer recipes.