Smoked haddock, ricotta, spinach and cheddar pizza

Smoked haddock, ricotta, spinach and cheddar pizza

Summer

Smoked haddock, ricotta, spinach, cheddar, I’ve been playing with this combination of ingredients for years, but hadn't topped a pizza with it until now. I won't be looking back. Lightly smoked haddock has a wonderful oaky flavour that pairs beautifully with creamy ricotta and fleshy, tender spinach. Mature cheddar adds a rich, salty tang, and the spring onions offer a nice allium bite.

Makes 4

Ingredients

  • 4 x 250g dough balls
  • 275g young spinach leaves, washed well
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 200g smoked haddock fillet, flaked into 1-inch pieces
  • 250g ricotta
  • 150g mature cheddar
  • 8 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • Semolina, to dust your peel

Method

As your dough balls rest, fire up the oven. It will be about 20 minutes before it's ready to cook pizza, but you can start cooking the spinach almost immediately.

Place the washed spinach into an Ooni grizzler pan or a medium-sized ovenproof pan, sprinkle with salt, and place in the middle of the oven. Stir the spinach every minute or so, until the leaves are soft and wilted. Let the spinach cool, then squeeze out excess liquid and set it aside.

Use an infrared thermometer to check that your oven is up to temperature — the middle of the baking stone should be between 400–450°C.

Stretch your dough on a lightly floured surface. Push the air from the center out toward the crust, then use your fingers to stretch the base to about 10 inches. Pro tip: Use a pastry bag to have more control over the ricotta distribution.

Evenly dot the pizza with a quarter of the ricotta, then distribute a quarter of the spinach and flaked fish in between. Next, sprinkle on a quarter of the cheddar, followed by the spring onions. Season with a twist of black pepper and pinch of crunchy sea salt, and finish with a drizzle of your best olive oil.

Dust the peel with a touch of semolina, then slide it under the pizza and place it in the oven. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, using the peel to rotate the pizza every 20 seconds to ensure an even cook.

Cut into six slices, serve, and enjoy. Repeat this process with the remaining pizzas.

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