Chef Juanjo Ruiz has turned into somewhat of a star thanks to just one dish—salmorejo. Cleverly reinterpreting this traditional Cordoban emulsion, he replaces, or adds to, the base ingredient (tomato) then piles on a dizzying variety of toppings. The result is a menu of exotic chilled soups served at food halls in Seville, Córdoba (the Mercado Victoria), and Fuengirola. Corn, truffle, and mushroom; squid ink, asparagus, celery, squash, fennel, and cumin; orange and cod; lemon and apple; and molasses and mustard are just some of the flavor combinations. Sweet salmorejos sneak in too, such as white chocolate, dark chocolate, or grape with pink pepper.
