If you love pizza, then you will love Smoked Salmon Pizza with Arugula. The flavour of the salmon is complemented by arugula and the addition of spring onions. It can be a quick meal, a snack, or a starter. Unlike usual pizzas, smoked salmon pizza with arugula has a thin crest base.
The recipe idea comes from the Alsatian food, tarte flambée which, has a thin and crispy crest base. Alsace is a cultural region in Eastern France. In history, after the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace became a part of the 1871 unified German Empire. After World War I, the victorious Allies detached it from Germany and awarded the province to the Third French Republic. Later, during World War II, the German-occupied the region until the end of World War II, when the Allies returned Alsace to France.
Tarte Flambée (Flammkuchen in German) was created by the German farmers at that time. After the annexation of Alsace by France, the Flammekuchen made its way as tarte flambée into French cuisine. Today, tarte flambée, or Flammekuchen, remains a popular food for Germans.
What are the main ingredients?
Dough
Instead of the pizza pastry, I use the base of Tarte flambée, a thin layer of bread dough. It is available in the German supermarket. After baking, the layer of bread dough will turn into a thin crust. Or you can make a self-made dough using rye flour, salt, and water.
Smoked salmon
Smoked salmon is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B, vitamin D, selenium, and magnesium. I prefer smoked salmon from Norway. After baking, the smoked salmon tastes super when combined with onions and arugula.
Tomato purée
Tarte flambée usually is topped with creme fraiche. For the pizza recipe, I use tomato purée because it has a thicker consistency and a deeper flavour. Tomato sauce is too liquid for this recipe.
Other toppings
Cheese is the main topping for pizza. I use the mild Gouda for this recipe. The other two toppings are arugula and onion, which are perfect to combine with smoked salmon. Since arugula has a strong flavour, I use the red/purple onion, which has mild flavours.
For a complete list of ingredients, please refer to the recipe below.
How to make the Smoked Salmon Pizza with Arugula?
Prepare the Dough
I use the ready-made tarte flambée dough. Therefore, I only need to lay toppings before the baking.
If you want to make the dough from scratch, use a little east and proof the dough. This process can ensure forming of the crispy crust when being baked in a regular oven. The recipe below uses self-made dough.
Prepare the toppings
Chop onions in half-ring sizes and roughly fry them in olive oil. Cut cheese into thin slices. Pick some fresh arugula, not too small as otherwise, they turned into small pieces after baking.
Assemble the pizza
Roll out the dough and place it on a baking sheet. First, apply the tomato purée, then place a layer of salmons, top with onions and cheese. To avoid getting burned, I add the arugula leaves one minute before the pizza is ready.
Tips for the recipe
If you do not like the strong flavour of arugula, replace it with spinach, for example. A suitable beer pairing with the recipe is the dark German beer (Dunkel and Schwarzbier). The white wines from Alsace and the Rhineland, such as dry Rieslings, are also good pairing options.
Did you make the recipe?
You can save the recipe or pin it for future cooking. I’d love to know how it turned out for you! Please let me know by leaving a review below and tag @cuisinereinvented on Instagram and hashtag it #cuisinereinvented.
Smoked Salmon Pizza with Arugula
Ingredients
Dough
- 10 g fresh yeast
- 50 ml water lukewarm
- 90 g all-purpose flour
- 40 g whole rye flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 5 ml olive oil
Toppings
- 150 g smoked salmon
- ½ bulb onion medium size
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 50 g arugula
- 50 g Gouda cheese
- 10 g butter
Instructions
Dough
- Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Work the yeast, wheat and whole rye flour, and egg into a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for 20 min.
- Add salt and olive oil to the dough and knead until fully incorporated. Cover and allow to rise for approximately 20 min.
- Preheat the oven to230C. Line a large baking tray with parchment.
- Divide the dough into two portions. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangular shape (or any shape) as thin as possible. You can use a knife to shape the edges of the rectangular.
- Transfer the dough to the lined baking tray.
Toppings
- Spread the tomato purée over the top, leaving a space around the edge without any topping.
- Chop the onion into half-thin rings. Add the onions to the pan with the butter, and cook a few minutes until the onions have softened but not brown. Cut the cheese into thin strips. Set aside. Wash arugula roughly, though away any brown or wilted leaves.
- Spread over the smoked salmon, sauteed onions, and cheese.
Baking
- Bake for around 9minutes until the edges are lightly brown and crisp and the toppings are just starting to colour.
- Now top with the arugula and bake for another minute.
- Serve immediately.