2025 Perfect Your Pizza Finalist: Sharon Ricci’s “Mediterranean Pizza Tonnato Pizza”

My love of Mediterranean cuisine is the inspiration for Pizza Tonnato. Fresh ingredients, especially seafood are the shining stars of most menus and meals that I enjoyed on the coasts of Italy and France. Creating a pizza using readily available ingredients such as a qood quality tuna in oil, and garden fresh arugula, red onion and garlic, make for a pizza that puts you at a table overlooking the sea, with a fine glass of rosé. Salute!

Pairs With

2022

Diamond Collection Rosé

Elegant on the palate and featuring flavors of roses, matcha and currants with a crisp natural acidity.

Price

$18.00

Member Price

$16.20

Diamond Collection Rosé quantity

Add to cart

Ingredients for Pizza Dough:

• 2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 envelope dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup warm water(about 110 degrees F)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for greasing bowl
• Small blender.

Directions for Pizza Dough:

1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in bowl of a stand mixer
2. While mixer is running, add water and olive oil and beat until smooth dough forms. If dough is too dry, add additional water.
3. Form dough into smooth, firm ball and add to greased bowl.
4. Cover and let rise at room temperature for at least 1 1/2 hours or refrigerate, covered, overnight.
5. Let come to room temperature at least 1 hour before assembling pizza
   prepared pizza pan.

Ingredients for the Tonnato Sauce (enough for 2 pizzas):

• 1/2 of 5 ounce can or jar of tuna packed in olive oil, drained
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• TK tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Adjust salt, if needed

Directions for the Tonnato Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for Tonnato sauce in small blender. Blend until smooth, adding water if too thick to drizzle over prepared pizza. Cover and set aside.

Ingredients for the Pizza Sauce (for 2 pizzas, remaining can be frozen or refrigerated for another use):

• 15 ounce can good quality crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions for the Pizza Sauce:

1. Blend ingredients using an immersion stick blender until somewhat smooth, cover and set aside.

Assemble the Pizza:

1. 1/2 can or jar of oil packed tuna, drained
2. 1/4 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted, halved
3. 1/2 small red onion, sliced
4. 4 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, torn in small pieces
5. 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
6. 1 cup baby arugula
7. 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grease 10 inch pizza pan with olive oil, let pizza dough come to room temperature.
3. Stretch dough to fit in prepared pizza pan.
4. Top dough with tomato sauce, tuna, olives, red onion, mozzarella and half of Pecorino Romano cheese.
5. Bake pizza 20- 25 minutes, rotating after 10.
6. Remove from oven and top with arugula, remaining Pecorino Romano cheese and pine nuts.
7. Drizzle with tonnato sauce.