No, it is not necessary to peel the tomatoes for this gazpacho recipe. Tomato skins are rather thin and blend nicely in the food processor. However, if you prefer the smoothest cold Spanish soup possible, feel free to remove the skins from your tomatoes.  To do so, you’ll need to blanch them first. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Make a small X-shaped cut on the bottom of each tomato, then gently lower them into the boiling water. Boil for 30 seconds and then immediately shock in a bath of ice water.  The skins will peel off with ease and you can continue with the rest of the gazpacho recipe.