Seafood Pizza with Clam Sauce, Shrimp & Bottarga

Thinly slice the garlic, finely dice the banana shallot, finely chop the parsley, zest the lemon and cut it into wedges. Scrub the clams, peel and devein the shrimp, and cut the cleaned squid into 5mm rings. Finely grate the bottarga and set everything aside in separate bowls.

Combine the flour and yeast in a large bowl. Dissolve the fine sea salt in 325 ml warm water (38°C), then pour into the flour along with 15 ml olive oil. Mix to a shaggy dough, then turn out and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide into 4 equal balls.

Place dough balls on a lightly oiled tray, cover with cling film, and leave to prove at room temperature for at least 2 hours (or refrigerate overnight for improved flavour).

Place a pizza stone or heavy baking steel on the highest oven shelf and preheat to maximum (at least 250°C / 480°F) for at least 45 minutes.

Heat a wide sauté pan over high heat until smoking. Add the clams and 120 ml dry white wine, cover immediately, and cook for 3–4 minutes until all clams have opened — discard any that remain closed. Transfer clams to a bowl; strain and reserve the cooking liquor.

Pick the clam meat from the shells and set aside. Return the pan to medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, then gently fry the shallot for 3 minutes until softened and translucent.

Add the sliced garlic and chilli flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute until fragrant but not coloured.

Pour the reserved clam liquor into the pan and simmer for 3 minutes until reduced by half.

Stir in 120 ml double cream and simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season lightly with black pepper — the clam liquor brings its own salt. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch each dough ball by hand into a roughly 28cm round, working from the centre outward — avoid a rolling pin, which deflates the crust.

Dust a pizza peel or flat baking tray with semolina and lay one dough round on top. Spoon 3–4 tablespoons of clam cream sauce over the base, leaving a 2cm border. Scatter over a quarter of the squid rings and shrimp.

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone and bake for 6–8 minutes until the crust is deeply blistered and charred at the edges and the seafood is just set and opaque. Use a meat thermometer to verify shrimp and squid reach 63°C (145°F) internal temperature — check during the final minute on the stone.

Remove from the oven and immediately scatter over the reserved clam meat, a pinch of flaky salt, chopped parsley, and a generous grating of bottarga. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Repeat with remaining dough rounds. Serve at once with lemon wedges.