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What Are the Different Ideas for Making Shrimp Pizza?

A.M. Boyle
A.M. Boyle

Shrimp pizza can be a nutritious, delicious alternative to traditional pizza, and following a few easy tips will help your shrimp pizza turn out exceptionally well. Properly preparing the pizza dough is important. The size of the shrimp matters as does the pretopping preparation of the shrimp. The types of cheese and spices used can either enhance the flavor of the shrimp or overpower it. Finally, the temperature at which you cook your shrimp pizza will affect the taste and texture.

Top-quality pizza dough must always be used. It can often be found in area bakeries, or it can be prepared at home. Shrimp can tend to be heavy and moist, so the dough should be kept on the thicker side. Generally, it should be no less than 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick. Before the toppings are added, the dough should be brushed lightly with olive oil to help prevent it from becoming soggy.

Fontina can be a great addition to shrimp pizza.
Fontina can be a great addition to shrimp pizza.

Medium-sized shrimp are best for pizza. If the shrimp are too large, they might not cook properly, and if they are too small, they will shrink in size and flavor, getting lost among the other ingredients. Before placing the shrimp on the pizza, they should be seared quickly in olive oil. This will seal in the flavor and allow the shrimp to cook more evenly. They should not be seared for more than a minute, or they may be overcooked and turn out to be tough and rubbery on top of the pizza.

Shrimp.
Shrimp.

The toppings are important when making a shrimp pizza. It is best to avoid traditional red pizza sauce as the flavor might overpower the shrimp. Instead, olive oil or pesto-based sauces tend to work better. Using cheese is a personal preference, but fontina or mozzarella are more likely to complement the flavor of the shrimp.

Spices that will bring out the flavor of shrimp pizza include fresh basil, garlic, parsley, and thyme. For additional toppings, it is best to choose vegetables, such as broccoli, green peppers, or mushrooms. Heavier meat toppings, like pepperoni or sausage, can drown out the flavor of the shrimp. If onions are used on the shrimp pizza, it is best to go with those that have a lighter, sweeter flavor, such as Vidalia or Bermuda onions.

Finally, like most pizza, shrimp pizza is best cooked quickly in a very hot oven. Most people don’t have wood-fired ovens at home, so certain accommodations are necessary to simulate the temperature as closely as possible. The oven should be set to its highest temperature, which is generally 550°F (about 228°C). Placing the pizza on a pizza stone will help accentuate and distribute the heat. The pizza should be removed from the oven when the cheese is melted, the shrimp is pink, and the crust is lightly browned.

Discussion Comments

Krunchyman

@Hazali - Your last sentence about pizza and bad combinations reminds me of a funny story the happened to me a few years ago. One time when I was out ordering pizza, I decided to be adventurous. Well, let's just say that was a big mistake. The combination that I ordered was a pineapple anchovy pizza. It doesn't sound like a good idea, does it? Well that's because it wasn't. Definitely one of the worst pizza I've ever tasted. Oh well, at least it was worth a try. Maybe next time, I'll try out a combination that works out a lot better.

Hazali

While I do appreciate pizza as much as the next person, one thing that I really enjoy about reading this article is that, while it does talk about shrimp pizza, it also makes a clear distinction between how certain pizzas should and shouldn't be made, and what should and shouldn't go on the pizza. In other words, it's clear the shrimp pizza isn't made like the average kind.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling adventurous, and want to order a different variety of pizza, like pineapple, I really tend to forget this. As an example, one thing I noticed is how the article makes the suggestion that mozzarella and fontina are the best to use for shrimp pizza. On the "average" pizza, it wouldn't make a difference as to what kind of cheese you would use.

I also noticed that it says to avoid the traditional tomato sauce. Apparently, it would overpower the pizza. Overall, I guess it really goes to show that we really need to be careful as to the kinds of toppings we put on our pizza. Bad combinations can produce some very undesirable results.

RoyalSpyder

After reading this article, I'm really starting to see why so many people like pizza. Yes, it tastes great, ha ha, but that's certainly not the reason.

If I were to guess why, then I would say it's because pizza has tons and tons of variety. In fact, even though the article doesn't mention this, I've always wondered how many different varieties of pizza there are.

I mean obviously, there's the traditional pepperoni and sausage, but there's obviously much more than that, especially considering this article. In fact, perhaps I will try shrimp pizza sometime in the future, although for all that I know, it's possible that it's available in stores.

However, considering that shrimp pizza is usually hard to find on the menus, it really shows that it's a kind of "specialty" pizza, and definitely not your average one.

Not to mention that it would probably be a lot more fun to make your own at home. Even if it would take a while, the results would definitely make the dish all the more worth it. Overall, it's really amazing the kinds of topics you can find on pizza.

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    • Fontina can be a great addition to shrimp pizza.
      By: Lsantilli
      Fontina can be a great addition to shrimp pizza.
    • Shrimp.
      By: nito
      Shrimp.