Cold, vibrant, and almost impossibly refreshing, these cucumber gazpacho shooters are the kind of appetizer that stops a party in its tracks. The base is built entirely from fresh cucumbers, bright lemon juice, shallot, garlic, and a touch of apple cider vinegar — no bread, no croutons, none of the thickening tricks that typically make traditional gazpacho off-limits for anyone avoiding yeast. Straining the blended mixture through a fine-mesh sieve gives you a silky-smooth liquid that looks and tastes far more elegant than the effort involved. The AIP-style pesto swirl — just fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon, and salt — gets dragged into a gorgeous pattern on top of each shooter, turning a simple pour into something genuinely beautiful. Ground ginger adds a subtle warmth that plays brilliantly against all that cool cucumber and citrus. These are best served ice-cold straight from the fridge, so they're a fantastic make-ahead option when you're entertaining and want one less thing to stress about on the day.
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2 large english cucumbers (about 2 lb total), roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp ground ginger
For the AIP pesto swirl
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
thin cucumber rounds, for serving (optional)
fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
1
Combine the chopped cucumbers, lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, shallot, garlic, apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, and ground ginger in a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 60 seconds.
2
Pour the blended gazpacho through a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl, pressing gently with a spatula until only dry pulp remains. Discard the pulp. Taste and adjust salt. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 30 minutes.
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