2 Balls of Pizza Dough

160ml Tomato Sauce

Pinch of Fine Sea Salt

2tbsp Drained Capers

3tbsp Olive Oil

100g Good Quality Smoked Salmon

250g Grated Mozzarella

3tbsp Crème Fraîche

This is the kind of pizza where the quality of the ingredients is everything. Use the best smoked salmon you can get, ideally organic and wild rather than farmed.

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°C/480°F/gas mark 9 or as high as it will go. Place a pizza stone or an upside-down baking tray in the oven to heat up too. Get all your ingredients and equipment ready, including taking the dough out of the fridge 1 hour before you’re ready to cook.
  2. While the oven is heating up, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a low-sided pan. Pat the capers dry with kitchen paper/paper towels so that the hot oil doesn’t splash when you put the capers in. Test the oil by adding one caper – if it sizzles, it’s ready. Add all the capers to the hot oil and fry for 1 minute, taking care not to let them burn. Scoop out with a slotted spoon or a small fine-mesh sieve and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Set aside – they will crisp up as they dry out.
  3. Stretch the pizza dough by hand or roll it out. Sprinkle a pinch of salt evenly over the dough, then brush a little olive oil onto the rim with a pastry brush to help it turn golden.
  4. Using a ladle or big spoon, pour the tomato sauce in the centre of the dough. Spread the sauce over the pizza in concentric circles with the back of the ladle or spoon, leaving a 2.5cm (1 in) border clear around the edges for the crust. You only want a thin layer of sauce.
  5. Place a big handful of the grated mozzarella in a mound in the middle of the dough. Use your palm to spread it out evenly across the pizza, leaving the edges clear for the crust. Scatter the smoked salmon on top of the cheese, aiming to get a good balance across the pizza.
  6. Check that there is no liquid on the peel or board or your pizza won’t slide off it. Shake the board gently to see if the pizza will move. If it doesn’t, lift up the pizza with a dough cutter or spatula and sprinkle a little flour on the board until it does move easily.
  7. Slide the pizza off the peel or board onto the pizza stone or upside-down baking tray in the hot oven. Cook for 7-10 minutes, but start checking it after 5 minutes – you want the bottom and the crust to be cooked through and golden and the cheese should be melted.
  8. Take the pizza out of the oven and scatter over the fried capers, then drizzle with the crème fraîche (put the crème fraîche in a squeezy bottle if you have one). Allow to stand for 1 minute before cutting into slices.

  • words:
  • pictures: Mowie Kay
  • styling: Emily Kidd, Maud Eden & Jo Harris

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