Shrimp pizza makes a comeback long in the making

Left, the gluten free cheese pizza from Domino's; right, the finished pie, half shrimp, half anchovy. (Rochester Voice photos)

Going to college in Iowa in the early 1970s was quite a culture shock for an 18-year-old Hingham (Mass.) boy, but I survived it.

I actually had a great time, and one of my lifelong takeaways was an affinity for shrimp pizza, which every pizza house in Southeast Iowa offered at the time.

Well, needless to say, I haven't seen a shrimp pizza back east since I returned in the mid-70s, so on Friday, a typical night to go out for pizza back in my college days, it was decided to try making our own.

First, we settled on Domino's to get the pie started. Domino's was one of the first chain pizza joints to install a gluten-free option, and at $11 and change for a small, it's pretty reasonable.

When I arrived for pickup at their store on North Main Street in the Town Fair Tire minimall, I was surprised there was just one young girl running the whole show, including taking phone orders, baking the pie and running the register. While I rarely tip on a take-out order she got one from me.

Just shows you how hard it is getting help these days!

The writer in his Parsons College phys ed T-shirt in 1970. (Courtesy)

Anyway, the next stop was Market Basket to get the shrimp. Now back in Iowa the pizza houses always used the canned tiny shrimp, but after scouring the canned meat section where the tuna, sardines and anchovies are found, I noticed no shrimp.

When I asked a manager they said that since the pandemic began they've been unable to get them, so I picked up a pound of medium raw shrimp for $6.99 and we were off to the races.

Back home Martha shelled and sauteed the shrimp in butter and garlic, then chopped them up into smaller pieces.

All that was left was placing them on one half the pizza while the other half got the anchovies, one of our regular toppings frequently used.

After about eight minutes in the oven to heat everything up, we let it cool for a couple of minutes and dug in.

And the shrimp pizza was delicious, even better than my college days, because the shrimp tasted fresher, not only because it wasn't canned but also because it had been sauteed in the butter, onion and garlic.

I would recommend anyone trying this.

In fact, after having a couple of pieces of the shrimp pie, I wanted nothing to do with the anchovy slices!

By the way, Rolling Rock beer has no wheat, so if you're not celiac, but just have sensitivity issues with gluten, you might want to give it a try. It does, however, have malt, which is usually made from barley or rye, which do have gluten, so be cautious if you have concerns.

Either way with the Rock, I think you'll agree shrimp pizza is just plain yummy.