Pizza with Olives, Anchovies, Capers and Oregano

Inspired by a trip to Amalfi, this pizza is full of umami flavour. It's got briny olives and capers, salty anchovies and fragrant oregano. good and suited to your next pizza night.

We first tried this pizza in a cute little pizzeria in Amalfi. We quite often opt for a Pizza Napoletana when we're in Italy, which is made with tomato, anchovies and capers but when we saw this, we knew it was going to be an instant hit.

This pizza is similar, but has black olives and oregano added. It's no surprise that we now make this at almost every pizza night.

This pizza is made using our homemade pizza dough, which we have a whole tutorial on showing you how to make it. It's made 1 day in advance and is well worth the extra effort. Enjoy!

Ingredient notes

• Pizza dough: We always prep our homemade pizza dough 1 day in advance, but you can do it up to 48 hours in advance. It's worth the wait and there's not much 'hands-on' prep involved. See our in depth guide for making homemade pizza dough here.
• Tomato sauce: we use a traditional no-cook pizza sauce that's typically used to make pizzas in Italy. Canned plum tomatoes mixed with salt, pepper, a little oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Mozzarella: We always use fresh mozzarella to make pizza and pat it dry with kitchen paper before using. You can use low-moisture mozzarella if you prefer.
• Olives: black olives are our go-to, but choose your favourite.
• Capers: we use capers jarred in brine. If you use salt-packed capers, rinse them before using.
• Anchovies: use good quality anchovies if possible; it makes a difference.
• Oregano: we use either homegrown or Sicilian oregano that we buy in a bunch from our local Italian food store. It's one of our favourite store-cupboard ingredients because it lasts for ages and it's so fragrant and good.

Recipe tips

Adjust the toppings to your taste – you can add as much or as little of each topping as you like. Our recipe is a guide based on how we ate it in Italy and how we like to make it at home.

Using fresh mozzarella – We tend to use fresh mozzarella for making pizzas but it must be drained first to avoid excess moisture on the top of the pizza. Do this by cutting it into slices and letting it drain on kitchen paper for 20-30 minutes before using.

Tomato sauce – traditionally tomato pizza sauce is not cooked and takes 5 minutes to prepare. You can see the instructions in the recipe card to make a full batch which is enough for around 6 12-inch pizzas.

More good pizza recipes to try

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Quattro Formaggi Pizza (Four Cheese)

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Focaccia Pizza

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Lingue di Pizza (Quick Crispy Pizza)

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Quattro Stagioni Pizza – Four Seasons Pizza

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 ball pizza dough ((about 240g-250g/8.5oz))
• 3-4 tablespoons tomato pizza sauce ((recipe below))
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella ((4.4oz/125g) see notes)
• 5-6 anchovies
• 1 tablespoon capers ((in brine))
• 12 black olives ((or as many as you like))
• 1 pinch oregano
• Semola Rimacinata (for dusting (or use flour))

To make a full batch of tomato sauce (enough for 5-6 pizzas)

• 14 oz (400g) can peeled plum tomatoes ((we use Mutti Pelati))
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Equipment

• pizza stone
• Pizza peel/paddle
• Pizza Cutter

Method

Prep

1. Follow our homemade pizza dough recipe, which makes 4 pizzas. Bring the dough out of the fridge 2-4 hours before baking. The dough shouldn't be cold.

2. Preheat your oven to its highest setting (we go to 270C). If you are using a pizza stone (highly recommend) make sure to preheat your oven with the stone for at least 45 minutes- 1 hour before baking.

3. If using fresh mozzarella, we recommend cutting it into slices/strips and letting it rest on kitchen paper to drain.

To make the tomato sauce

1. Put the plum tomatoes in a bowl and crush them to a pulp using a potato masher or your hands. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon of oregano and ½ tablespoon of olive oil, then stir until everything is combined. Set aside.

Assemble

1. Sprinkle a generous handful of semola flour on a clean work surface and tip one dough ball directly on top of it. Flip it over so both sides are covered in semola. Next, press your fingers into the dough about ½ inch from the edge, working across to the opposite side.

2. Do this a few times to create a border around the dough, then stretch the dough gently by turning it in a circle.

3. Place the dough back down, then spread the tomato sauce over the base, making sure to keep the border free. Don't add too much tomato sauce; 3 tablespoons is usually enough.

4. Add your mozzarella, followed by the olives, capers, anchovies and a pinch of oregano. Sprinkle your pizza paddle with semola and transfer the pizza onto the paddle in a swift motion.

5. Place on your pizza stone and bake for 7-10 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

6. Remove and let it rest for 2 minutes before cutting and serve.

Kitchen notes

• Nutritional information is for 1 serving (2 slices of pizza)
• Drain your mozzarella if using fresh (in the prep step of the instructions)