There are many options for making a flavorful seafood pizza. One of the most basic choices is whether or not to use fresh seafood. Using complimentary vegetables could add both taste and texture to the pizza. Adding seafood to the pizza sauce may provide even more options and taste combinations.
Using fresh ingredients may provide the best flavors and aromas. If using fresh seafood, it should be purchased no more than a day or two before making the seafood pizza. Topping pizza with frozen ingredients may be a good idea as well, but it should be thawed the night before because seafood can become rubbery if thawed in the microwave.
Thorough cooking is important for some types of seafood. Mollusks, for instance, may contain bacteria, and cooking them completely will kill the bacteria and prevent illness. To ensure food safety, mollusks and other toppings can be cooked at high temperatures on the stovetop before adding them to seafood pizza. The packaging will often list the correct preparation methods and guidelines.
Preparing vegetables and sauces that compliment the seafood may be a good idea. For example, a sauce with lemon and garlic may be a good choice if scallops or shrimp are used as pizza toppings. The texture added by vegetables may add to the dish as well. Crunchy vegetables, such as carrot slivers or peppers, should be added to the pizza a few minutes after placing the pizza in the oven so they retain a crunch that balances the soft texture of the seafood.
Fried seafood could provide a nice texture as well. Some kinds of seafood become soft or even mushy when cooked, and many lose their shape and moisture when baked. Moisture is locked in and the appearance is maintained by frying the seafood before using it as a topping for seafood pizza, you can lock in moisture, and avoids creating a mushy pizza. If the calories added by frying is a concern, a thin, crispy crust also may add some crunch and texture to a seafood pizza.
A seafood sauce may add even more flavor to a pizza. For varying degrees of flavor, seafood can be used in the sauce along with various toppings. Incorporating seafood into the sauce may be a pleasant way of combining numerous types of seafood on one pizza as well.
