Reinventing the pizza
Iwent to the Interior for a work/road trip and I came back raving about this Bahama-breeze pizza. Could you create a recipe for something similar? It was the best pizza I’ve ever had.
Jill The place Jill enjoyed the pizza she raved about is Salty’s Beach House in Penticton. On its website, saltysbeachhouse.com, the eatery is described as a casual dining spot with top-notch food and amazing views.
When you read its globally inspired menu, it quickly becomes obvious the chef loves stirring a range of — often bold — tastes into the dishes at Salty’s.
That is certainly the case with the Bahama-breeze pizza. On the pizza crust, you’ll find scallops, shrimp, garlic, dry-cured bacon, thyme-infused confit tomatoes, Manchego cheese, avocado and wasabi lime cream.
That’s seven items, and some of them, the tomatoes and cream, require multiple ingredients. I normally would never put that many toppings on a pizza.
In a Bon Appetit (bonappetit.com) article on making pizza, celebrity chef Mario Batali agrees, writing that when it comes to toppings for pizza, simplicity is best.
That said, all the items on Salty’s Bahama-breeze pizza appeal to me. And I when baked up my version of it and enjoyed a slice, I, too, was impressed. And why not? Fine seafood is made even richer with cream sauce, spiciness from wasabi, tanginess from lime and cheese, and for added, over-the-top goodness, slices of ripe avocado set on the pizza just before serving.
Jill asked if I could make a recipe for this style of pizza, so here it is. I decided to add my own twist, leaving off the very rich confit cherry tomatoes Salty’s used, which are slow-cooked in oil, and replacing them with a fresh taste, cilantro. If you don’t care for cilantro, use Italian parsley instead. Seafood Pizza with Lime Wasabi Cream and Avocado Lighten things up by serving this ultra-rich pizza with a crisp, light and refreshing green salad. Preparation: 35 minutes Cooking time: about 20 minutes Makes: one 12-inch pizza (eight slices) For the crust: 2⁄3 cup lukewarm (not hot) water 1 tsp active dry (traditional) yeast 1⁄2 tsp granulated sugar 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus some for the bowl and pan 1/4 tsp salt 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour For the pizza 75 grams pancetta, cut into tiny cubes (see Note) 4 large East Coast scallops 4 large wild prawns, peeled and deveined (see Note) 1 Tbsp lime juice 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 tsp wasabi paste, or to taste 100 grams Manchego cheese, grated (see Note) 1 ripe, medium avocado, peeled and cut in 8 wedges 8 fresh cilantro sprigs, or taste • lime wedges (optional) To make the crust, in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the water, yeast and sugar. Let stand five minutes to dissolve the yeast, and then mix in the oil.
If using a stand mixer, add 1 1/4 cups of the flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (Add some or all of the remaining 1/4 cup flour if it does not pull away from the bowl.) Mix and knead the dough for another 5 minutes.
If mixing the dough by hand, slowly add 1 cup of the flour, working it into the yeast/water mixture with a spoon until the dough loosely clumps together. Dust a clean work surface with some of the remaining flour. Gather the dough, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary, and set it on the counter. Dab it lightly in the flour to coat it, then knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky, adding more flour to it as needed as you go along.
Lightly grease a deep bowl with olive oil. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at warm room temperature until doubled in size, about 60 to 90 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet set over medium-high heat, fry the pancetta until crispy. Remove from the heat, drain away excess fat and dry on paper towel.
Cut each scallop in half and set on plate. Cut each prawn in half lengthwise; now cut each piece in half widthwise. Set prawns on the plate with scallops.
Place the lime juice in a small pot and set over medium-high heat. Simmer until the juice is reduced to 1 tsp. Add the cream and garlic, return to a simmer, and then remove from the heat. Mix in the wasabi paste, and then let cream cool to room temperature.
While the cream cools, place the risen dough on a lightly oiled, 12-inch, non-stick pizza pan. Gently press, push and spread dough until it reaches the edges of the pan. Let the dough rest in the pan a few minutes. If the dough contracts, press on it again until it reaches the outer edges.
Place the oven rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Divide and spread the top of the dough with the cream mixture. Next, divide and top the cream mixture with the cheese. Then set the pancetta, scallops and prawns on top.
Bake the pizza 12 to 13 minutes, or until the pizza is puffed and the crust is crisp and golden on the sides and bottom.
Top pizza with cilantro sprigs and then cut into eight slices. Top each pizza slice with a wedge of avocado and serve, if desired, with some lime wedges for squeezing. Note: Devein the peeled prawns by making a shallow cut along the length of the back of each one. Pull or rinse out any dark material found inside.
Pancetta is dry-cured Italianstyle bacon. Manchego cheese is a firm Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk. They are sold at many supermarkets and European-style delis. I bought both at the Fairfield location of Thrifty Foods. Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.