In Nice, the day begins early. Not with coffee — but with dough. And not with butter — but with oil. As the sun slowly stretches over the Mediterranean, bakers in the old town slide golden, fragrant slabs into the oven: pissaladière. Not quite a pizza, not quite a tart — and certainly not a quiche. It’s something in between. Something deeply and deliciously its own.

 

I remember a morning in Vieux Nice when an old woman — hands dusted in flour, eyes dark as olives — handed me a still-warm slice straight from the board. “Pas trop chaude,” she warned. “You’ll taste the onion better.” She was right. The onions were soft as jam, the anchovies salty as the breeze, and the crust just crisp enough to cradle it all.

 

Pissaladière is a dish of simplicity, yes — but also of patience. Onions must not be rushed. They need time. Time to melt into themselves, to become something golden and sweet and deep. And the anchovies? They should not shout. They should whisper of the sea.

 

 

The Recipe

 

Pissaladière Niçoise

Makes 6–8 slices

 

Ingredients:

 

For the dough:

• 250 g flour (2 cups)

• 5 g dry yeast (1½ tsp)

• 150 ml lukewarm water (⅔ cup)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• ½ tsp salt

 

For the topping:

• 800 g onions (about 6 large)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small garlic clove, minced

• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp dried)

• 10–12 anchovy fillets in oil

• 15 black Niçoise olives (or Kalamata as a substitute)

• Black pepper

 

 

Method:

 

1. Make the dough.

   Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and let it sit for a few minutes until foamy. Mix with the flour, salt, and olive oil. Knead into a smooth dough (10 min by hand, or 5 min with a stand mixer). Cover and let rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

2. Prepare the onions.

   Slice the onions into thin rings. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add onions, garlic, and thyme. Cook gently over low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, golden, and nearly jammy. Season with black pepper (no salt — the anchovies will take care of that).

3. Assemble the pissaladière.

   Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Roll out the dough into a rectangle or rustic circle, about 1 cm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Spread the caramelized onions evenly across the surface.

4. Add anchovies and olives.

   Lay the anchovies in a criss-cross pattern, like a diamond lattice. Nestle an olive in each diamond-shaped opening. It’s like opening a window onto the Mediterranean.

5. Bake.

   Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden and crisp. Serve warm, lukewarm, or at room temperature — always with your fingers, never with a fork.

 

 

🍷 Wine pairing:

 

A chilled rosé from Bellet, the secret wine region nestled in the hills just above Nice, pairs beautifully — dry, pale, and slightly salty.

No Bellet nearby? A classic Côtes de Provence rosé will do perfectly.

For something bolder, a Bandol rouge served cool will bring out the anchovy’s depth.

 

So there you have it — a slice of Nice without the flight, without the fuss. Just bread dough, a few good onions, and the sea in a jar. Eat it on a bench, or standing barefoot in your kitchen. And know that for a few perfect bites, you are in the south.

 

And if you ever find yourself in Nice, go early to the Cours Saleya. Not for the flowers — but for the pissaladière, still warm, eaten from a napkin, with salt on your lips and crumbs on your shirt.