Pissaladière
Rustic Niçoise onion tart with deeply caramelised onions, anchovy fillets and black olives on a crisp yeasted base.
Pissaladière is essentially the French answer to pizza — but in Nice they take their onions very seriously. This version uses a simple yeasted base and a long, slow caramelisation to coax out sweet, almost jammy onions that pair with salty anchovies and rich black olives.
Make it for a relaxed supper with a green salad and a chilled glass of rosé. It keeps well and actually tastes better at room temperature, so it’s brilliant for a picnic or buffet.
Ingredients
- 350 g plain flour
- 5 g dried yeast
- 220 ml lukewarm water
- 5 g caster sugar
- 10 g fine salt — total for dough and onions
- 60 ml olive oil — total: for dough, cooking and finishing
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 1 kg brown onions — thinly sliced
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar
- 5 ml dried thyme
- 12 anchovy fillets in oil — drained
- 80 g pitted black olives — halved
- 5 ml ground black pepper
- 15 g fine semolina — for dusting the baking tray
- 10 g fresh parsley — finely chopped, to finish
Equipment
- baking tray
- rolling pin
Instructions
Make the dough: in a large mixing bowl combine plain flour, dried yeast, caster sugar and fine salt. Add lukewarm water and 30 ml of the olive oil, mix to a shaggy dough then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First prove: oil a clean bowl with a little olive oil, place the dough inside, cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm until roughly doubled in size.
While the dough proves, caramelise the onions: heat 30 ml olive oil and the unsalted butter in a large frying pan over medium–low heat. Add the brown onions and half the fine salt and cook gently, stirring every few minutes, until very soft and deep golden — about 40–45 minutes. In the final 5 minutes add the balsamic vinegar and dried thyme and continue to cook until glossy.
Punch the dough down to release air, shape into a ball and leave to relax, covered, for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Line a baking tray with baking paper and sprinkle the fine semolina evenly across it.
Stretch or roll the dough on the semolina-dusted tray to a roughly rectangular shape about 30 x 25 cm, leaving a slightly thicker rim. Use your fingertips to press shallow dimples across the surface and brush the top lightly with the remaining olive oil.
Top the base with the caramelised onions in an even layer. Arrange the anchovy fillets in diagonal rows across the tart and scatter the halved pitted black olives. Grind the ground black pepper over the top and drizzle a little extra olive oil if the tart looks dry.
Bake in the preheated oven for 22–25 minutes until the edges are golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
Scatter the finely chopped fresh parsley over the tart, slice into squares or wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Tips
- Caramelise the onions low and slow — rushing this step with higher heat risks bitter, burnt bits. Stir every few minutes and watch the colour change.
- If you’re short on time use a stand mixer with a dough hook for the knead stage (about 6–7 minutes on medium).
- Make the onions a day ahead and refrigerate; bring them back to room temperature before assembling to avoid cooling the dough.
- To prevent a soggy base, make sure the onions are glossy but not wet; reduce any excess liquid in the pan before topping the dough.
- If the anchovies are particularly salty, blot them briefly on kitchen paper before arranging.
Substitutions
anchovy fillets in oil → olives tapenade, spread thinly (use about 80 g)
Noticeably differentunsalted butter → extra virgin olive oil, same volume (25 g ≈ 25 ml)
Noticeably differentdried yeast → fresh yeast, 20 g (halve the water temperature slightly)
Stays closeplain flour → strong white flour, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 455
- Calories
- 11 g
- Protein
- 62 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 1000 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — omit the anchovy fillets and consider a thin smear of olive tapenade or extra olives for savoury depth; the result will be noticeably different from the classic but still delicious.
Can I use ready-made puff pastry or pizza dough?
You can; ready puff will give a flakier tart and ready pizza dough a chewier base. Either shortcut works, but adjust baking time (puff needs less time, pizza dough similar).
How far ahead can I make it?
You can make the onions up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. Assemble and bake on the day for best texture. The finished tart keeps 2 days in the fridge and is best reheated in the oven.
Can I freeze the tart?
Yes — freeze fully cooled and wrapped for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen in a 180°C fan/200°C conventional oven for 20–25 minutes.
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