I make a traditional pesto and use it for all kinds of recipes. I adore this pesto for soups, pasta, veggies.
However, when I use it for pizza, I get this weird paradox where everything is too salty, but still feels like it needs salt. For toppings I use fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers and parboiled asparagus. I don’t season them to offset the saltiness.
Any suggestions on how to make this pizza perfect?
Maybe add some umami to give it a non-salty savory touch?
Do you need more acid? A little lemon juice or vinegar may help with the saltiness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Fat_Acid_Heat
Balance is so important in cooking.
I will give this a try! Maybe thin out the pesto with citrus or balsamic. Thanks for weighing in!
Balsamic drizzle on some pesto pizza, now that sound a like a winner,
This was my first thought, too, like you took the thought out of my mind. I agree, OP. Lemon or Lime juice, or even a small splash of high quality vinegar can make all the difference.
TBH the solution is to salt the pesto less and salt your toppings more, probably by just adding finishing salt after cooking the pizza. Also consider using a nonfresh mozzarella, which generally has more flavor. While the creaminess of fresh is nice, I find it to be way too bland most of the time.
This problem is the exact reason why I stick to pepperoni and banana peppers. They are inherently flavorful and salty.
I’ve tried adding crushed red pepper for the heat, but it doesn’t change the salt balance issue.
