Pissaladière
Ingredients
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- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil – for onions
- 3 pounds yellow onions – thinly sliced (~10 medium yellow onions)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – leaves
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt – for onions
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste
- 3/4 cup warm water – warm (105–115°F)
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt – for dough
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil – for dough
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil – for brushing pan
- 16 fillets anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
- 1/2 cup Niçoise olives, pitted
Instructions
1. Cook the onions: Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions, thyme, bay leaves, 0.25 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions sweat and soften, about 15 minutes.
2. Uncover and continue cooking the onions over low to medium-low heat, stirring often, until very soft, jammy, and blond with no dark browning, 30–40 minutes more. Stir in the sliced garlic during the last 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the anchovy paste until dissolved, then discard the bay leaves. Let the onion mixture cool to warm.
3. Make the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the warm water, instant yeast, and sugar; let stand 5 minutes. Add the flour and 1 teaspoon salt, then 2 tablespoons olive oil, and mix until a rough dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface (or with a dough hook) until smooth and elastic, 8–10 minutes. Form into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, 60–75 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Brush a 10×15-inch rimmed sheet pan (or a 12-inch round pan) with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
5. Punch down the dough and stretch or roll it to fit the prepared pan to about 0.5-inch thickness, easing it into the corners. If it springs back, let it rest 5–10 minutes and continue.
6. Spread the warm onion mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 0.5-inch border. Arrange the anchovy fillets in a lattice pattern over the onions, then nestle the Niçoise olives at the intersections and in between.
7. Bake until the crust is deep golden at the edges and underside and the onions are lightly tinged at the tips, 20–25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, slice, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Pissaladière is a beloved Provençal onion tart from Nice, built on a springy, olive-oil-enriched dough and topped with a lush compote of slow-cooked onions. The flavors are savory-sweet and briny: mellow onions balanced by the assertiveness of anchovies and the fruity bitterness of Niçoise olives. The texture lands between pizza and tart—tender crust with a slight chew, crowned by silky onions and punctuated by olives and anchovy fillets.
The name comes from pissalat, a traditional anchovy-sardine paste once spread beneath the onions. Over time, cooks in Nice came to garnish the tart with whole anchovy fillets and local olives, preserving the dish’s marine character. Eaten warm or at room temperature, pissaladière is a fixture of markets and apéritif tables along the Côte d’Azur and a classic expression of the region’s pantry: onions, olives, anchovies, olive oil, and herbs.