Sardine Pizza

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Change up pizza night with this Sardine Pizza! It’s quick and easy with simple ingredients that pack a lot of flavor. You’ll want to add this one to the must-make list this weekend!

Who doesn’t love pizza night?! Whether you’re making a simple pizza for a busy weeknight or whipping up a gourmet pizza to enjoy with friends on the weekend, pizza is always a crowd pleaser. And there are so many ways to change it up!

We love getting creative with our pizza recipes. Some of our favorites include tandoori chicken pizza, bulgogi beef Korean pizza and Jamaican jerk chicken pizza.

Now we’re adding this sardine pizza to the list of favorites. Yes, we’re adding sardines to pizza!

You might be skeptical, but I promise, it’s totally delicious. This recipe is easy, with minimal ingredients and it tastes like a fancy restaurant pizza!

Check out the sardine pizza story!

Why this recipe works

1. Sardines are a pantry ingredient. We always have a can of sardines on hand, so it’s easy to add a flavorful protein to homemade pizza!
2. Sardines are inexpensive, accessible, flavorful and packed with nutrients. You can easily find them in just about any grocery store and they have omega-3 fatty acids.
3. The garlic and olive oil base for this pizza tastes amazing and it’s super easy to make!
4. We’re using a pre-made pizza crust, so you can have this pizza on the dinner table in about 20 minutes!

Ingredients

You’ll need 1 pizza crust for this recipe. I use Boboli pre-made pizza crust, but you can use naan bread, pita bread or homemade dough.

The recipe calls for 1 can of skinless, boneless sardines, which are small, oily fish that usually come packed in small cans. While you can get them fresh, canned sardines are already cooked or smoked. You can find them in almost any grocery store.

I normally use sardines packed in olive oil and arrange them on the pizza in whole pieces. If you prefer to cut them into smaller pieces, you can do that too.

The base of the pizza consists of 2 ½ tablespoons of olive oil and 2 cloves of minced garlic. For the best flavor, use a good quality olive oil and fresh garlic.

I love pairing sardines with red onion, so this pizza has a full red onion on it that has been thinly sliced.  If you prefer white or yellow onion, feel free to substitute. 

For a punch of flavor, I usually add 1 ½ tablespoons of capers to the pizza. If you don’t have capers, green olives are a great substitute.

To add more veggies to the pizza, you’ll need one chopped tomato. Some tomatoes are juicier than others. If your tomato seems watery, just drain the juices before adding it to the pizza. (This will prevent the pizza crust from getting soggy).

To go with the salty sardines and capers, I love to add ¼ cup of crumbled feta as the cheese topping for the pizza. You can also use the cheese of your choice.

For a fresh garnish, add a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of arugula before serving. 

Step by step instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F degrees.

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned. 

Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet and drizzle the garlic olive oil mixture over the top.

Add the sliced red onion, capers and chopped tomato.

Add the sardines on top, distributing them evenly across the pizza.

Sprinkle generously with feta cheese. Use more or less as you'd like.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the crust is brown and cooked on the bottom (use a spatula to gently lift it to determine if the bottom has browned).

Top with fresh arugula, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Expert tips

1. For the store-bought pizza crust, I use Boboli, but you can use your favorite pizza crust. Other options include naan bread, pita bread or homemade dough.
2. To really appreciate the flavor of sardines, I recommend using sardines packed in water or olive oil. 
3. For the garlic olive oil base it’s important to use a good quality olive oil for maximum flavor.
4. If you like a saucier pizza, you can use a tomato sauce, alfredo sauce or a pesto sauce (or whatever sauce you'd like).
5. Sometimes fresh tomato can make a pizza crust soggy so make sure you drain any excess juices from your chopped tomato.
6. Instead of feta, you can use another type of cheese. This pizza would also be delicious with mozzarella.
7. In place of the arugula garnish, you can use other greens like spinach or fresh herbs.
8. If you don’t have capers, you can substitute green olives.

Common questions

Make it a meal

While this pizza is filling on its own, you can add some sides to make it a bigger meal. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Baked Parsnip Fries
• Duck Fat Parmesan Truffle Fries
• Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
• Crispy Cajun Wings
• Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Grilled Peach Salad

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it turned out!