Napoli Salami Pizza

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If you’re like me, Napoli Salami Pizza (or Neapolitan salami pizza) is right up there with our favorite pizzas. Whether you use a more American style salami or keep it traditional with an Italian salami like Soppressata or Genovese, it’s really impossible to go wrong with this pizza. Let’s dive into what makes the best salami pizza!

Napoli Salami Pizza

What is Napoli Salami Pizza?

Okay, we all know what salami is, right? Maybe not. Or, more accurately, maybe we don’t know enough about salami if we’re going to make the best salami pizza. So, let’s start with that.

What Is Salami? (And what is Salame? And Salume?)

Of course, Wikipedia is going to tell us most everything we need to know about salami – how it’s a cured sausage with fermented and air-dried meat, usually pork, etc., but let’s get serious about it in relation to our pizza today.

And what is salame? That’s simply the singular of salami.

And what is saume? That’s a more general Italian term for all cured Italian meats.

Although salami is found in our local grocery stores in many varieties, it does originate in Europe, likely in the Mediterranean (possibly Italy) because the temperature didn’t require smoking to preserve meat. This makes salami rather different than smoke-cured meat.

Salami is generally found made from pork, but if you don’t care for pork and do some looking around, you may find it made from beef, turkey, buffalo, venison, veal or even horse.

Regardless of the meat, salami is not cooked but also not raw – it is cured through fermentation. This process acidifies the meat slowly resulting in the meat drying out and imparting the flavor we know. Nitrates may be added, as it adds additional color and further preserves the meat from bacteria, however some people may choose to seek nitrate-free salami.

What Is the Best Salami for my Neapolitan Salami Pizza?

Salami Platter

It should come as no surprise that the most important factor in the salami is the quality of the meat, followed by the additional ingredients added, and the process used to cure it. While machine curing is an option, you’ll probably be able to taste the difference between a wonderfully, naturally cured and aged salami than one made via machine. That could also have a lot to do with the quality of meat used in each process.

And as mentioned, the use of nitrates is something many people may wish to consider.

This is why there are so many varieties of salami available, such as:

  • Ones named after regions of Italy:
    • Genovese
    • Napoletano
    • Milanese
  • Ones named after styles:
    • Prosciutto (more on this below)
    • Ciauscolo
    • Cacciatore (aka hunter style)
    • Soppressata
    • Finocchiona (common in Tuscany)
    • Pepperoni
  • And some with less creative names:
    • Italian Dry
    • Turkey Salami
    • Peppered Salami

Which of these you prefer really depends on you. Not all of these are as inexpensive as the others (especially imported, aged salamis) and therefore you might just want to serve/eat these from a charcuterie board rather than mix with other toppings on a pizza.

Charcuterie Board

Then again, there’s nothing like cooking salami and the fat renders out and you get a lovely char. That’s why “roni cups” are so popular! (Check out our Pepperoni Pizza Recipe)

Slice of Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Napoli Salami Pizza Recipe Cooking Instructions

This recipe can be cooked in your oven on or off of a pizza stone, pizza steel, or pizza pan – but our goal here is to make a “Napoli” pizza – meaning in the style of Naples.

If you’ve got an outdoor pizza oven (like our Solo Stove Pi) you can make a classic Neapolitan pizza using our dough recipe and cooking it at the typical ~900ºF.

But if you don’t have one, that shouldn’t stop you from making this pizza. The biggest variation if you’re using your regular oven will be cooking time because of the lower temperature. In that case, I’d recommend using pizza pan like the GoodCook AirPerfect.

Napoli Salami Pizza in the pizza oven.

Cooking Time: Outdoor Pizza Oven

  • Cook at >650°F (unless the crust is very thin, in which case ~900ºF)
  • 6-8 minutes
  • Rotate a quarter turn 4 times.
  • Rest for 5 minutes before cutting and eat immediately.

Cooking Time: Pizza in an Indoor Oven

  • Cook at 450°F on a pizza pan or cookie sheet
  • 8 minutes, then rotate
  • 8 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the pizza to the pizza stone
  • The top of the pizza should already be browning, in which case turn the oven off.
  • Leave in oven for 5 extra minutes
  • Remove and rest for 5 minutes before cutting and eat immediately.

Rotate the Pizza!

With the Solo Pi, get the stone gets very hot! But the temperature at the back (measured with an infra-red thermometer) and the front will generally at least 100ºF different. That’s why it’s important to rotate the pizza during cooking.  Even in a conventional oven there is still generally variation, so it’s good to rotate your pizza at least once while cooking.

Substitutions and Variations for Napoli Salami Pizza

Salami Over or Under the Cheese??

Pepperoni over or under the cheese? You decide!
Decide for yourself if you like your salami above or below the cheese!
(and yes, this is actually a picture of pepperoni, but the point is still the same!)

Do you put the salami or the cheese on top?!?  Really, this is a matter of taste. The salami will certainly cook differently if on top than if under the cheese, and therefore so will the cheese. Many folks prefer the extra browning (or even crisping) when the meat is on top.

Topping Variations

You can use a spicy salami or mix different types of salume together. Salami/salume also work well with vegetables, like green bell peppers and mushrooms.

Cheese options vary too.  You can readily find a 4-blend grated Italian or pizza cheese package at the grocery store.  You can also try cheddar, provolone, or jack cheese without any real difference.  If you want to get experimental, try grating Gouda or raclette.

Additional Tips for Making Pizza Salume

  • It’s easy to over-sauce a pizza because pizza sauce is so savory and delicious! But take care not to over-sauce and make a floppy slice.
  • I like cutting my salame into fourths. I find it is easier to create an even layer of salame this way. This is optional.
  • I like using a silicone mat to press my pizza dough out if it is going on a pan. It’s hard for things to stick to it, yet easy to clean. I like this one because it outlines the circumference of the pizza.
  • A pizza stone will give you a crunchier crust. No peel? No worries! For tips on how to get your pizza on a stone without a peel, check out this article!

How to Reheat Neapolitan Salami Pizza

If the pizza is from the fridge: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once it reaches temp, place it on a pan or the pizza stone for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat the slices in a skillet on the stovetop – no need to preheat the pan! Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, place the pizza in, and let heat for 6-8 minutes.

Napoli Salami Pizza

Neapolitan Salami Pizza Recipe

Todd Mitchell
A Neapolitan-style pizza with salami
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 2 people
Calories 584 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Wood-burning pizza oven This is ideal for a classic Neapolitan style pizza, but use what you've got!
  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Pizza Cutter

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Pizza Dough ball (8-9 ounces) (Refer to our recipe for making AVPN Neapolitan dough)
  • 3 Tbsp Flour (Semolina is ideal, AP is good, but any flour will be fine for this)
  • .25 Cups Tomato sauce (Refer to our recipe for making your own sauce from canned tomatoes or try Mutti brand sauce)
  • 2.5 Ounces Fresh mozzarella (approximately one ball)
  • 2 Ounces Salami of your choice (about 5 thin, large slices or 10 smaller slices)
  • 1 Tsp Olive oil (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your pizza oven to ideally about 800°F to 900°F.
    Adding wood to the pizza oven.

Prepare the Dough

  • If you are using a pre-made dough ball, give it at least 30 minutes to come to room temperature.
  • Put 2 tablespoons of flour on your work surface
  • Put 1 tablespoon of flour and the cornmeal on the pizza peel.
    Floured pizza peel
  • Begin stretching your pizza dough on your work surface. With 8 ounces of pizza dough, you should be able to make an 11" to 12" pizza, depending on the dough. True Neapolitan pizza will leave about a half inch outer ring slightly taller than the center.
    Work surface has been prepared with semolina flour and the dough ball is being stretched.

Prepare Before Putting the Dough on the Peel

  • If you are using fresh mozzarella, remove your mozzarella from the water, dry with a paper towel, and chop into slices or strips.
  • Check your pizza oven temperature. Add more wood if necessary. Do not proceed to the next step if your oven is not ready.
    Pizza oven smoking as it comes up to temperature.

Apply the Toppings

  • Transfer your dough to the pizza peel.
    Neapolitan pizza dough on the pizza peel.
  • You will want to quickly apply your toppings and get the pizza into the oven before the dough sticks to the peel.
  • Apply the tomato sauce to the center of the pizza. Use a spoon to spread the sauce out from the center in a spiral pattern but keeping the sauce off of the outer ring.
    Sauce on Pizza dough
  • Distribute the mozzarella cheese evenly over the pizza.
  • Distribute your salami over the pizza. You can cut it into smaller slices if you prefer.
    Pizza alla Diavola ready to cook

Cooking with an Outdoor Pizza Oven

  • Check the pizza oven temperature again. If you have an infrared thermometer, check for the hottest part of the pizza stone.
    Infrared thermometer
  • Launch the pizza into the oven on the hottest part of the stone without being in the flames.
  • Before rotating the pizza, make sure that Rotate the pizza one quarter turn every 45 seconds. Generally, the pizza will be done in 6 minutes or less. So watch it closely!
    Napoli Salami Pizza in the pizza oven.
  • Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for about 3 minutes.
    Napoli Salami Pizza
  • Cut and serve immediately.

Notes

Conventional Oven option:
  • If you are going to cook this in a conventional oven, you’ll want the highest temperature you can get the oven to. 
  • If you have a pizza stone (or pizza steel), that’s going to help a lot in getting the most authentic crust. If not, a pizza pan (or cookie sheet) will still turn out a great pizza.
  • You can either start the pizza on a pan (or cookie sheet) and transfer it to the stone after about 15 minutes (when the crust is firm enough to be safely transferred). At this point, turn off the oven and let the pizza cook on the stone for another 5 minutes. Remove and let rest on a cutting board for another 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
  • Alternatively, you can start by launching the pizza directly to the pizza stone in your oven. This is more tricky and you might want to practice with some dough with no toppings!

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 25gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 1879mgPotassium: 237mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 372IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 189mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Neapolitan Pizza, salami
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Napoli Salami Pizza

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