Seafood Pizza On The Grill

grilled seafood

Father’s Day is right around the corner, time to celebrate all the dad’s in our lives and what better way than heating up the grill and making something special.  Grilling pizza is a fun and casual way of entertaining but if you want to kick it up a notch and make it special, top the pizza with grilled seafood.

It’s a beautiful presentation, taking the ordinary pizza to the extraordinary!

marinating fish

It’s quite simple to make if you plan and prep ahead. Keep in mind, you can use any mix of seafood you like. I used calamari, shrimp, scallops, with a small lobster tail and a few clams in the shell to get a few extra WOW’s!

Marinating and flavoring the seafood beforehand is key, every bite will taste scrumptious. Grilling the dough produces a light and crispy crust which goes oh so well with it all.

I loaded the top of my pizza with seafood, but you can go lighter by using maybe just shrimp and scallops or shrimp and calamari, the possibilities and combos are endless, use what you like.

 

grilled calamari

After marinating your seafood get it on the grill to get that lightly charred flavor, if using calamari keep in mind it takes only about five minutes to cook.

 

mixed grilled seafood

The same thing goes with scallops and shrimp, they cook up very quickly, the lobster will take the longest. You can tell when the lobster is cooked through when the meat is firm to the touch and it’s opaque looking.

If using clams you can steam them inside until they open or stick them on the grill, they’ll open up there as well.

 

pizza with fish

You can go against the seafood and cheese police and add some shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan on the crust like I did, it anchors the seafood and tastes delicious, be sure to go light if using cheese, remember the seafood is the star here. I added some nice sliced tomatoes which went really well together with the cheese.

You can also just swipe the crust with fresh pesto sauce, creme fraiche, a light red sauce, roasted red pepper sauce, the list goes on and on, make it your own.

grilled seafood on pizza

Serve this grilled seafood pizza to someone special in your life!

Seafood Pizza On The Grill
 
Add a little elegance to your pizza with a mix of seafood.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. prepared pizza dough, store bought or homemade, room temp
  • 1 lb. shrimp, medium size, peeled and deveined
  • ½ lb.sea scallops
  • 2 lbs. calamari cut into rings with tentacles
  • 1 small lobster tail, trimmed up with the back cut open
  • 3 or 4 littleneck clams in shell, washed and scrubbed of no sand
  • 2 medium sliced tomatoes or you can use cherry tomatoes
  • shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan, enough to lightly cover the bottom of the crust ( refer to post for non cheese options)
  • olive oil, parsley and basil for garnish
  • TO MARINATE FISH
  • olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, lemon zest and a little juice
Instructions
  1. Make sure to get that dough at room temp early in the day so it's easy to roll out.
  2. Marinate all the fish no longer than an hour, drain well before grilling, if using clams no need to marinate.
  3. To make it easy on yourself grill all the fish on a disposable grill pan beforehand and set aside.
  4. TO PREP THE DOUGH:
  5. On medium heat brush your clean grill with olive oil.
  6. Stretch out the dough as big as you can.
  7. Lay the dough on the grill.
  8. Cook til the top bubbles, around 3 minutes.
  9. Remove it from the grill with tongs and place the cooked side up on a cutting board.
  10. Top the cooked side with cheese and place all the grilled seafood ( put the lobster tail right in the middle) all around.
  11. You can slice the scallops in half as well as the shrimp if you prefer.
  12. Place your sliced tomatoes all around the seafood, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  13. Place the loaded pizza back on the grill ( that will be the uncooked side face down) with the top on the grill down until the cheese melts and fish heats up, around 5 minutes.Watch for hot spots so crust doesn’t burn.
  14. Make a nice salad on the side, slice and enjoy!
  15. Remove and sprinkle with chopped basil and parsley.

 

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Grilled Pizza with Slow Roasted Tomatoes and Whipped Ricotta

pizza on the grill If you haven’t tried making grilled pizza yet I can honestly say you’re really missing out. Many people are intimidated by it, I was too when I first started making it a couple of years ago. I made many mistakes, especially when grilling the dough you have to get it just right in my opinion because it can make or break the whole pizza.

When grilled correctly the crust becomes crunchy with just the right amount of chew and the perfect platform for your toppings.

slow roasted heirloom tomatoes Speaking of toppings, for grilled pizza I wouldn’t use meat unless it’s been pre-cooked and sliced thin.

For me using veggies of any kind is the way to go, but again they should cooked and  prepped first. Pizza made on the grill goes really fast, you have no time to cook a meat on top, after you crisp up the crust you’re basically waiting for the cheese to melt. Usually  I’ll roast up some zucchini coins or thin slices of eggplant, mushrooms, peppers beforehand so I’m all ready when it comes to topping the pizza, you have to have all your toppings prepped and ready.

This time I decided I was going to use these beautiful heirloom tomatoes that I found which I had slow roasted a couple of days before. They’re basted with garlic and olive oil and slow roasted with fresh thyme or basil for four hours, I love having them tucked away in my fridge to use for appetizers or to top off a special dish or in this case grilled pizza, the flavor is out of this world.

This has now become my new favorite grilled pizza of all times!

ingredients for grilled pizza My ingredients were: One ball of pizza dough, ( I get mine from a good Italian store, but you can make your own of course), fontina cheese, fresh mozzarella, whipped ricotta, basil and the slow roasted tomatoes.

raw pizza dough I don’t like to grill one big pizza, I tried it many times but the crust never turns out the way it should. I like to cut my dough ball in half and make two pizzas. The dough needs to be at room temperature for best results otherwise it keeps springing back when your trying to spread it out and form it nice and even.

Brush both sides with olive oil, place them on a baking sheet and take them out to the grill.

making grilled pizza Heat your grill up nice and hot, burn up any bits, your grill grates should be impeccably clean, then take a paper towel soaked in oil and wipe it all over your grates.

I have a gas grill with three burners, all are lit but kept at medium heat. Now place your dough onto the grill, and don’t touch it!

making grilled pizza You’re going to see it start to bubble, that’s a good thing, let it bubble all around, now take your tongs, lift it and see how it’s doing, you can move it, turn it, but don’t flip it over!

You want to get it nice and crispy, only on one side for now.

making grilled pizza When it looks like this take it off and put it on your baking sheet cooked side up,it’s time to put the toppings on. Remember, the underside is still not cooked.

grilled pizza dough You can tell the dough is cooked in the photo above,  it’s not pale, it doesn’t look gummy or raw, it’s sort of crunchy and slightly hollow if you tap on it, and it’s sturdy enough to  stand up to your ingredients.

grilled pizza toppings I put the grated fontina down first, then cut and scattered my fresh mozzarella around, added the slow roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. The whipped ricotta goes on after the pizza is finished.

grilled pizza Go back out to your grill now and place the uncooked side down onto the grates, close the lid and let the cheese melt, keep checking so the crust doesn’t burn lifting it with your tongs, again you want it nice and crispy like the top with a firm feeling to it, not limp.

grilled pizza It only takes a few minutes so don’t walk away!

grilled pizza The bottom is now cooked and crispy, the cheese has melted, the tomatoes with the garlic oil have permeated the whole pizza and the basil just tops it all off.

But hold on we’re not done!

grilled pizza Time for the whipped ricotta, mix it up and place it in a zip bag, cut off the tip and squeeze fluffy dollops onto your pizza.

grilled pizza Just one bite and you’ll be smitten! There are no words…

grilled pizza

Here’s the link to make the slow roasted tomatoes and whipped ricotta, now get grilling!

Want to see what I’m cooking up during the week? Follow me on Instagram!

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Pizza on the Grill

Want something fun to cook on your grill this Memorial Day weekend? If you haven’t tried grilling pizza yet, forgive me, but what are you waiting for? The texture you get from the dough cooking on the grill is incredible! Light, crispy and crunchy!

Start with good quality dough, either homemade or storebought. Let it come to room temperature before you even attempt to roll it out. I like to cut my dough ball in half, it’s much easier to manage on the grill.

Make sure your grill is super clean and all that former BBQ sauce has been burned off and scraped clean. Get the grill nice and hot, coasting on medium high. Your dough is going to cook up so fast, so don’t walk away, it can burn!

Fresh, lighter ingredients work best for grilled pizza, have everything ready to go because things go really fast! For this pizza I used veggies that I grilled the day before, eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow peppers with fresh mozzarella for my cheese, all on top of a light tomato sauce base.

In the past I’ve made many margherita pizza’s, you can’t go wrong with that, or just melt your favorite cheese on the dough and when its done add some prosciutto and arugula, actually that’s one of my absolute favorites!

Think caramelized onions, pancetta with blue cheese, feta or goat, cherry tomatoes tossed with fresh basil and olive oil spread all over creamy bubbly cheese. Another favorite of mine is shrimp with pesto, I could just ramble on and on for an hour about all the good combinations you can make! Chicken is good too, alright, alright I’ll stop!

No matter how hard I try my pizza never comes out round, I roll it out round but when I plop it on the grill it morphs into another shape, who cares, it’s all about the taste!

And believe me it tastes phenomenal! Pour yourself some wine or grab a beer, ice tea or lemonade and enjoy casual dining at it’s finest!

Here’s what you do:

Heat your clean grill up to a medium high heat, I like to oil my grill grates a little too.** While the grill is heating up, roll your room temperature dough out and brush the top with olive oil** Place dough, oiled side down on grill, don’t move it, it will start to bubble up and cook, use tongs and check the bottom side it should look crispy with nice grill marks, once cooked it will be easy to flip** Pull it off, lower your heat and add all your toppings on the cooked side.** Place pizza back on the grill and when the cheese is all melted and bubbly and the underside is cooked it’s done.

Happy Grilling!
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Grilled Pizza and a Garden Salad

Making pizza on the grill has become a summertime favorite for us. The dough cooks up in a matter of minutes, and it always creates a nice crisp crust. Whether you have a good source for buying fresh pizza dough or you make your own, if you haven’t tried this yet put it high on your list!

I like to roll my dough out a little, but when you put it on the grill it changes it’s shape, but that’s the beauty of it! Make sure your grill is nice and hot. Brush the top with olive oil and put that side down on your hot grill. Brush the raw side with olive oil and then flip the dough when you see grill marks underneath.

Have all your ingredients ready because now you will be adding them to the first cooked side, it grills up very fast so have things precooked, mostly light and fresh ingredients work best. I have tried so many combinations, as you know when making pizza the possibilities are endless!

For this pizza I tried something different. Pancetta with caramelized red onions, creamy bocconcini, fresh tomatoes and roasted artichoke hearts, a great combination that I would do again. Here’s a couple of my other favorites.

This is great for a leisurely weekend dinner while you’re sitting outside enjoying the weather, pour yourself some wine, make a salad, and you have a great meal!

Speaking of salad! This all came from my garden, doesn’t it look so nice and fresh? I can’t wait to dress it up with my best olive oil and favorite vinegar.
Buon Appetito!
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GRILLED PIZZA!

Prosciutto, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes and shaved parm is one of my favorite pizza’ to make on the grill. Have you tried grilling pizza, the crust turns out great!

Rolling out the dough, crossing my fingers hoping my picky eater granddaughter will will take a bite of the pizza she makes!
Brush the top with olive oil, flip it over and keep it on the grill till it starts to bubble up, check for nice grill marks.

When you can see grill marks and the dough is crispy, flip it over again, now on the cooked side brush with olive oil then lay on all your ingredients, close lid and cook till cheese melts.


The freshest of ingredients taste the very best! Cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. BTW, my granddaughter ended up eating the pizza she made, cheese only, hey, but it’s a start!

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