Shrimp and Andouille Creole Pizza
Shrimp and Andouille Creole Pizza
Creole cuisine is one of my favorite types of food. I wanted to incorporate ingredients that are in gumbo and jambalaya into a pizza. For the toppings, I used thinly sliced andouille sausage sautéed with the trinity(celery, bell pepper, and onion), plus some garlic, 26/30 ct. shrimp that were sliced in half, and green onion. For the sauce, I created a creole béchamel using the leftover fat of the sautéed andouille and the addition of creole seasoning. I cut back on the amount of mozzarella since this is fairly heavy pizza.
Equipment
- pizza pan or stone
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe or half for thin crust
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 large andouille sausage thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red or green bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 12 26/30 ct. shrimp peeled; deveined; tails removed; sliced in half
- 1/4 cup green onion finely chopped
Creole Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp creole seasoning
Instructions
- Sauté the andouille sausage, celery, bell pepper, and onion for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the pan, saving any drippings.
- In the same pan, add the butter and flour. Cook for 2 minutes, whisking out the lumps.
- Pour in the milk. Continue whisking; cooking for 2 minutes until thickened into a cream sauce.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the creole seasoning.
- Roll out the pizza dough to your desired thickness. Spread the sauce on the dough, leaving a 1/4” edge of crust.
- Top the pizza with mozzarella, rolled by the andouille mixture, halved shrimp, and green onion.
- Bake in a preheated 475° oven for 12-15 minutes.
Pizza Dough
For the last 8 months, I’ve been trying to perfect the perfect standard pizza dough. Through lots of trial and error, I think I may have done it. This recipe is basic and straightforward, yielding what I consider a really good medium thickness crust for a 14” pizza. If you divide the dough into two, you will have 2 – 12” thin crust pizzas. Once assembled, these pizzas bake at 475° for 12-15 minutes depending on the crust thickness and the type of pan or pizza stone you use. This dough can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and can also be frozen.
Equipment
- upright standing mixer with dough hook attachment
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin optional
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 2 cups flour plus extra
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Mix together the yeast and sugar. Dissolve in the warm water and let activate until bubbly; about 5 minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in an upright standing mixer for 30 seconds on low. Pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead for 5 minutes. At this point, the dough will pull away completely from the side of the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for about 30 minutes.
- Gently flour a clean surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour the top.
- Using either your hands or a rolling pin, stretch out the dough to your desired thickness.
