Grilling flatbread is one of the easiest endeavors to undertake on the grill and a great first step to making pizza directly on the grates. Simply stretch or roll out pizza dough and cook it for a couple minutes, flip it, cook another couple minutes, then remove and top it with whatever pleases you. Unlike pizza, this is done over direct heat with the cover open so you can see what’s going on. Takes the guesswork out of wondering when the cheese has melted. I like to stretch my dough over polenta to give it just a little extra crunch and texture.
I am thinking creating a version of surf ‘n’ turf for my dad this Father’s Day and was recently reminded of the smoked salmon pizza made famous by Wolfgang Puck. I thought it would be a great starter and played right into my dinner theme, but I really didn’t want to make an entire pizza. While wandering through Trader Joe’, my eye caught some smoke trout and I thought I could do a version of one of my favorite salads on top of a flatbread. Done and done.
- 1 pound prepared pizza dough
- Cornmeal or polenta, for rolling dough
- Flavorful olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
- 4 to 6 ounces softened goat cheese
- 2 to 3 cups baby arugula
- 12 cherry tomatoes (mix of red and yellow), quartered
- 12 pitted Kalamata or Niçoise olives, halved
- 4 to 6 ounces smoked trout, flaked
- ½ lemon
- Big flake salt, such as Maldon (can substitute coarse sea salt
- Set up grill for direct medium to medium-high heat grilling. Brush and oil grates before cooking.
- Cut dough in half. Scatter cornmeal over work surface and stretch or roll out dough to desired shape. Lightly brush the tops with a little olive oil. Place the dough, oiled-side down, directly on the grates. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and well-marked. Using a pair of tongs, flip the flat breads and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill.
- Immediately spread the flatbreads with the softened goat cheese and then top with the arugula, tomatoes, olives and finally the trout. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the tops, give a quick drizzle of olive oil and hit it with a little salt. Slice and serve. That's it!
Cheers and Happy Grilling!
~ Jeff
What a great idea. I’m having a family get together and will be making this for sure.
YAY, Judy… Please let me know what you think. I tried it using Cypress Grove Purple Haze which gives a tiny fennel and lavender flavor that is almost undetectable, but adds that little ‘something’. Cheers!
Hey Jeff, you spelled arugula wrong in the title (but it sounds delicious either way!).
LOL Fixed. I really should proof-read more often! Thanks, Anne! 🙂