Featured Recipe
Spicy Shrimp Pizza Twist
By Kate
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A fiery shrimp pizza featuring thick crust, a punchy tomato sauce with chili flakes and fresh herbs, topped with sautéed shrimp infused with garlic and white wine. Uses mozzarella and a blend of parmesan for a sharper finish. The dough is portioned for medium pizzas with a cornmeal dusted crust baked on a hot pizza stone. Step-by-step guide prioritizes look, smell, and texture cues for doneness. Substitute shrimp with scallops or firm fish for variation. Slightly adjusted timing and ingredient proportions create balance without losing bite.
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Prep:
35 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
50 min
Serves:
4 servings
pizza
seafood
Italian
spicy
dinner
Introduction
Shrimp on thick crust pizza. Crimson sauce simmered with chili that bites just right. Not timid, but not reckless heat. Garlic, white wine in shrimp pan sings when the wine hits the heat; sharp herbal parsley chops through richness. Cheese stands back, mozzarella soft melting, parmesan adding sharp spark. Cornmeal on the peel—prevents stick. Pizza stone hot. Dough rolled thick not thin—chewy, with a crackling crust edge. Timing’s rhythm—not clock, but feel. Watch bubbles, scent of caramelizing onion, shrimp pink and tight. Tweak with roasted tomatoes or fresh seafood swap; it’s rigid enough method to follow, flexible enough to improvise. No soggy regret here. Only bite and heat and crunch.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 6 ml (1 ¼ tsp) crushed red chili flakes
- 50 ml (3 ½ tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 400 ml canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 700 g medium raw shrimp, peeled and patted dry
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ml (½ tsp) crushed red chili flakes
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 30 ml finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Dough divided into 4 equal parts (thicker crust style)
- 400 ml shredded mozzarella
- 100 ml finely grated parmesan cheese
Shrimp
Dough & Cheese
About the ingredients
Use dried crushed chili flakes instead of fresh chili—a steadier heat that doesn’t overwhelm. Onion slowly sweated draws out natural sweetness, anchors the sauce. A pinch of sugar can fix tomato acidity if needed; taste before adding. Fresh garlic in both sauce and shrimp delivers brightness but mustn’t burn—burnt garlic kills, imparts bitterness. Oil quality matters here—extra virgin for sauce and finishing; olive oil adds flavor and browning. Shrimp must be dry to sear properly; wet shrimp steam and rubberize. White wine optional but important—alcohol evaporates leaving a gentle acidic brightness. Parsley is fresh cut, added last to preserve that herbal snap. Cheese mix balances melt and bite. Dough—use your favorite thick crust recipe, refrigerated preferably for better structure and flavor.
Method
Sauce
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low. Toss in diced onion and crushed chili flakes. The sizzle should be gentle, not burning. Stir occasionally, cook until onion softens and edges turn translucent, around 7-8 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper early to draw out moisture.
- Add diced tomatoes, raise heat and bring to a gentle but lively simmer. Watch for tomato juices bubbling and slight thickening—about 8-10 minutes.
- Lower heat; stir in garlic and continue cooking 1-2 minutes. Avoid garlic browning or bitterness. Let sauce cool slightly, taste and adjust salt, pepper, even a pinch of sugar if too acidic. Set aside.
- In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp in batches to avoid crowding; when shrimp curl tight, edges turn pink and opaque, flip once—each side 1-1.5 minutes max.
- Return all shrimp to pan. Add minced garlic and chili flakes. Stir for about 1 minute to infuse flavors without burning garlic.
- Pour in white wine, scrape up any browned bits. Cook until wine reduces halfway, about 2-3 minutes, sauce thickens slightly. Toss in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 240°C (465°F) with pizza stone on middle rack. Stone must be hot enough—at least 30 minutes preheated to ensure bottom crust crisps properly.
- Divide dough into four balls, flour the workspace with semolina or cornmeal—acts like tiny ball bearings allowing easy slide on stone.
- Roll each dough ball into a 28 cm (11 inch) circle, avoid crushing air pockets in dough; airiness here is key.
- Slide dough onto a well-floured peel or parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of sauce over dough using back of a spoon, leave edges bare for crust rise.
- Brush olive oil on crust edges—this helps golden color and crunch. Do not overload sauce; soggy bottoms kill the experience.
- Bake directly on pizza stone 9-11 min. Watch for bubbling edges, light golden hue, and crisp bottom—the tell.
- Remove from oven, scatter 100 ml mozzarella + 25 ml parmesan evenly. Pop back into oven 1.5-2 min; cheese should just melt, not brown excessively.
- Take out pizza, top with quarter of shrimp mixture evenly. Drizzle with a little olive oil for gloss and moisture.
- Serve immediately. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings.
- Avoid overcooking shrimp in sauce stage; they get rubbery quickly.
- Substitute diced tomatoes with fire-roasted canned for smoky depth.
- Can swap shrimp for seared scallops or chopped lobster for an upscale twist.
Shrimp
Pizza Assembly & Baking
Notes for room temp dough Spread dough before stone heats fully, speedier bake and air pockets bloom rather than shrink.
Technique Tips
Preheat stone long enough, it’s the secret for crisp bottom crust. Don’t skimp on flouring peel—cornmeal is a great alternative to regular flour, prevents sticking and adds subtle crunch. Watch sauce bubbling and thickness; too thin leaves soggy base. Shrimp cooks fast, watch edges turn from translucent to opaque and curl tight; overdone shrinks and toughens. Do shrimp searing in batches—crowding drops pan heat, causes steaming not frying. Adding wine after garlic prevents burning garlic but captures fond from shrimp. When topping pizza, thinner sauce spread means better control, prevents sogginess. Baking pizza—look for bubbling cheese, slightly golden crust edges, firm base—test by gently lifting with peel to check underside. Cheese melts quickly; watch closely to avoid burning. Adding shrimp after cheese keeps them fresher and avoids rubbery textures from extended baking. Final drizzle of olive oil brightens flavors and adds gloss.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Start with a hot pizza stone; preheat for at least 30 minutes. Stone needs to absorb heat. Check for bubbling, golden edges.
- 💡 Watch shrimp—don't let them steam. Cook in batches. Crowding creates watery mess. Look for pink edges that sizzle. Flip quick.
- 💡 Use fresh garlic but don't burn—bitterness ruins sauce. Garlic should soften and release aroma, then you add tomatoes. Balance flavor.
- 💡 For crust, flour well, or use cornmeal. Helps dough slide smoothly. Crust should rise up nicely; look for golden color and airy bite.
- 💡 Adding wine to shrimp? Key for flavor. Evaporates quickly, leaves brightness. Cook until liquid reduces, look for slightly thickened sauce.
