Grilled Antipasto Fish Pizza

This is an amazing pizza and truly one of the more inspired recipes I’ve created lately!  With just 1/2 pound of fish from a recent catch in the fridge needing to be cooked, Rob and I sat on the patio after an afternoon of gardening wondering what I could do with it for a quick dinner.  Of course we asked ourselves “What do we have on hand to go with it”.  The answer was in front of us as we looked at some early ripe tomatoes, abundant fresh basil and the Kalamata olives we were munching on. Inside was a pre-made thin crust pizza dough, the always-present chunk of romano cheese and some Genoa salami. Why not make a fish pizza? On the grill!

Rob went to get a bottle of wine to go with it, and by the time he got back – in less than 15 minutes – the pizza was done. It’s that quick and easy to make, and so good we devoured it before we took the time to have more than a couple of sips of the Chianti he chose to go with it. Bon Appetito!

Antipasto Fish Pizza Ingredients:

• 1 large pizza shell – I find the pre-made thin crust shells work beautifully on a grill
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 large thin slices Genoa salami, or about 16 smaller slices
• 10 pitted kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/2 pound fresh white-fleshed fish, such as striped bass or haddock, cut into small cubes
• 1 large fresh tomato  seeded and chopped
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• 8 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut or chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese

Preheat a grill to 350 degrees while you prepare the ingredients.

Drizzle the olive oil onto the pizza crust, then lay down the slices of salami.

On top of the salami, evenly distribute the fish, tomatoes, olives and garlic. If using a gas grill, turn the gas to low and place the pizza on the preheated grill. If using wood or charcoal, cook over indirect heat. Although I haven’t yet done it, I can very easily imagine this pizza would cook beautifully in a preheated 450 degree oven as well.

After about 5 minutes of cooking, partially cover the grill for a couple of minutes. The fish will cook through, the tomatoes, garlic and olives will heat and become fragrant…………..

And with a quick check to the bottom to make sure it has crisped up but hasn’t burnt, the pizza is ready for the finishing touches.

Remove the pizza from the grill with a spatula and sprinkle on the grated cheese and basil. The heat from the pizza will release the flavor of the basil and soften the cheese. Don’t try to put the basil on before cooking – it will dry out.

Aside from dinner, think great appetizer and a different spin on antipasto!