State: Alaska
So no surprise, but I have never been to the state of Alaska. I went to school with someone from Alaska before. I remember when it would drop down to 20 degrees in the winter and would snow, he was still wearing shorts. I would think he was crazy, but I am sure he was exposed to much more extreme temperatures. When I think of Alaska, wildlife and the seafood comes to mind. I hope you enjoy this pizza, because my wife Monica and I loved it.
Ingredients Needed:
1 tbsp of chardonnay
1/2 lb of Salmon
1/4 lb of scallops
1 pizza crust
2 strands of scallions - sliced
2-3 diced peppers - I used Sweet peppers
1 tbsp of dill - diced
1 tbsp of chive - diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of freshly grated mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
Sauce:
The sauce was very easy to make and my goal was to think of it like a dipping sauce for lobster or king crab legs, but a little different. I diced up the dill and chive to a really fine size. I heated up the butter and added in the lemon juice, dill, and chive. I removed it from the heat and allow to cool. You can use a little bit of Tabasco with the sauce, but the goal is it should be buttery.
The sauce was very easy to make and my goal was to think of it like a dipping sauce for lobster or king crab legs, but a little different. I diced up the dill and chive to a really fine size. I heated up the butter and added in the lemon juice, dill, and chive. I removed it from the heat and allow to cool. You can use a little bit of Tabasco with the sauce, but the goal is it should be buttery.
Meat:
This part of the pizza is very delicate and the seafood can be a little pricey, so I went with a small pizza on this state. In a frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil and sear on both sides. I would cook the scallops and fish separately, but with the same consistency. Both should have a nice brown crisp sear to the outside, but you don't want to overcook the seafood. Allow for the salmon to get a nice crisp on the outside. Remember, do not overcook as seafood does not taste good when overcooked. :) After cooked, cut each scallop into four pieces or enough to spread out around the pizza. For the salmon, flake the fish off into little pieces.
This part of the pizza is very delicate and the seafood can be a little pricey, so I went with a small pizza on this state. In a frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil and sear on both sides. I would cook the scallops and fish separately, but with the same consistency. Both should have a nice brown crisp sear to the outside, but you don't want to overcook the seafood. Allow for the salmon to get a nice crisp on the outside. Remember, do not overcook as seafood does not taste good when overcooked. :) After cooked, cut each scallop into four pieces or enough to spread out around the pizza. For the salmon, flake the fish off into little pieces.
Pizza:
Preheat oven to 415. The first thing you will do to your crust, is add a thin coat of olive oil to the crust. By adding the oil to the crust, it provides flavor and will keep your ingredients onto the crust. Then, add your sauce to the base, covering the whole pizza but not the outside of the crust. Reserve about 2 tbsp of sauce for later. Cook crust with sauce for 8 minutes. Take out of oven. Start adding scallops and fish along the pizza. Make sure to spread out enough so each slice of pizza will have both meats on a slice. Then add diced peppers and diced scallions. Add freshly grated cheese and sprinkle the remaining sauce around the pizza. Cook for 3-4 minutes just enough to allow the cheese to melt. Take out of oven and allow pizza to cool. Cut pizza and enjoy!
Pairing: Preheat oven to 415. The first thing you will do to your crust, is add a thin coat of olive oil to the crust. By adding the oil to the crust, it provides flavor and will keep your ingredients onto the crust. Then, add your sauce to the base, covering the whole pizza but not the outside of the crust. Reserve about 2 tbsp of sauce for later. Cook crust with sauce for 8 minutes. Take out of oven. Start adding scallops and fish along the pizza. Make sure to spread out enough so each slice of pizza will have both meats on a slice. Then add diced peppers and diced scallions. Add freshly grated cheese and sprinkle the remaining sauce around the pizza. Cook for 3-4 minutes just enough to allow the cheese to melt. Take out of oven and allow pizza to cool. Cut pizza and enjoy!
This pizza is SUPER tasty and is one of the best pizzas I have ever made. It is very rich in ingredients and requires a nice balance for the pizza. I would recommend a white wine for the pizza, maybe something with an "oak flavored" taste. For a beer, a great IPA or APA would be good with this. I wasn't able to find an Alaskan beer for this challenge, but I there are a lot of brewing companies starting to make way in Alaska such as Alaskan Brewing and Midnight Sun Brewing companies.
Learning Moments:
This pizza took me out the traditional pizza box, creating new flavors and working with seafood. I tried to stay true to Alaska with the ingredients presented above and I really enjoyed making this pizza. I had never seared seafood, as I usually do not cook a lot of seafood at my house except for shrimp. This pizza has taken me a little further in my adventures of cooking. I hope you enjoy, because this pizza rocked!! :)
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