Calabrese & Hot Honey Pizza
Spicy Calabrese, bubbling mozzarella, and a finish of hot honey — this is the pizza that quietly ruins delivery for you.
Calabrese is not a quiet salami. Calabrian chile gives it real heat and personality, and when it hits a screaming-hot oven the edges curl up into little crispy cups that hold pools of rendered, spicy fat. That alone makes it worth a pizza.
We keep everything else simple so the salami can lead: good crushed tomatoes, torn fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of hot honey right at the end to play against the heat. Sweet, spicy, and savory all in one bite.
Use store-bought dough on a weeknight — there's no shame in it, and no one will know.
Ingredients
For the Pizza
1 ball pizza dough (about 12 oz), at room temperature
½ cup crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated
8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn
3 oz Calabrese salami, thinly sliced
pinch of salt
For Finishing
2 tablespoons hot honey (or honey with a pinch of chile flakes)
fresh basil
grated Parmigiano Reggiano
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Instructions
Place a baking sheet or pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F, or as high as it will go. Let it heat for at least 20 minutes.
Stir together the crushed tomatoes, olive oil, grated garlic, and a pinch of salt.
Stretch the dough on a piece of parchment into a roughly 12-inch round. Don't worry about a perfect circle.
Spread the sauce thinly, leaving a border for the crust. Scatter the mozzarella, then lay the Calabrese slices across the top.
Slide the pizza, still on the parchment, onto the hot pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until the crust is deeply golden and the salami edges have crisped.
Drizzle with hot honey, scatter with basil and Parmigiano, slice, and serve immediately.
Chef Notes
The hotter the oven, the better the crust, so give your pan or stone a full 20 minutes to heat up before the pizza goes in.
Lay the Calabrese over the cheese rather than under it. That's how you get those crispy little cups with pools of rendered fat. And always add the honey after baking — it will scorch and turn bitter in a hot oven.
Substitutions & Tips
Serving & Storage
Eat this one straight from the oven, while the cheese is molten and the crust is crisp.
Leftovers keep for a day in the fridge. Reheat slices in a hot skillet or oven rather than the microwave to bring the crust back to life.
Published
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