I was at a local pizza joint the other day, and it occurred to me that anchovies have disappeared off the list of available toppings in most places (not that I miss it one bit). Has this particular topping gone the way of the dodo or do some places still have them?
They haven’t gone away but you won’t find them in parlors that have to maintain reasonable prices to stay open. Decent anchovies cost more than shrimp.
Two words.
Millennials.
As an owner of a pizza joint a long time ago, I can say the cost of keeping anchovies on hand vs the frequency of requests did not make economic sense. I would get a request perhaps once every few months.
Yeah, I’m sure that most younger folks aren’t even aware this existed. After all there’s no app for it 
Anchovies on pizza are great if done right, and most restaurants don’t which is I never order them. Most restaurants use anchovies like pepperoni, which is horrible. My mother is from Sicily so I grew up eating authentic Sicilian pizza. The trick with anchovies is to break them into little pieces and sparingly put them on the sauce under the cheese. That way they melt into the pizza and give it a great, subtle taste.
A local ‘take-and-bake’ place well sell you a can of sardines along with red pepper flakes and parmesan.
I remember when red pepper flakes and parmesan was FREE with your order.
At most of the national chains such as Little Caesar’s or Dominoes, pepper flakes and parmesan are free with your order.
This is an international pizza chain with stores in Canada and the Middle East.
I grew up in Connecticut, where pizza is a religion, especially around the New Haven area. There were a number of places that did anchovies, and I’d imagine still do. But in CT, clams are the most common seafood of choice for pizza.
Papa Murphy’s is awesome. There are lots in Utah. I normally just buy a plain pepperoni and then load it up myself. And I like their sauce. Sometimes, when I have a coupon from a youth fundraiser that gives me Buy One Get One Free there I’ll get ones already loaded up.
And they are always fresh as they are cooked in my own oven when we are ready.
Anchovies are like eating an eyebrow. Never could have them on pizza.
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It’s a take and bake place. You are going home, to put it in the oven. You should have the peppers and cheese at home unless you live on take out.
If you don’t, they have plastic jars of cheese and peppers sitting by the register - I’d guess enough to do at least a dozen pizzas.
If you ask they will sprinkle red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese onto your pizza before they wrap it - at no charge.
If that is too complicated, either get delivery or eat-in.
I’ve never understood take and bake. To get a decent crust, the oven has to be far hotter than your GE Profile will ever be.
I make homemade pizza in cast iron skillets, and everyone who has tried it says it’s excellent, including the crust. Ever had homemade pizza cooked in/on cast iron?
No, I haven’t, how do you go about it?
I had something that sounds similar in Chicago. I asked a group of construction workers where the best pizza was, and ended up in a small parlor that claimed to be “Oprah’s favorite pizza”. It was delicious, and I’ve not had anything similar to it since.
I don’t think my pizza crust is all that great, but it’s decent. I consider it the weakest part of what I make. I’m surprised at how well liked it is, but I have folks who’ve eaten it ask me to make it again all the time. I just press dough into a skillet, coated in olive oil, cover it with sauce, and top as I like. I press the dough to a thickness of about 1/4", that gives what I’d call a medium thick crust. I use tons, like 1/2lb in my 12" skillet, of cheese, mozzarella and grated parmesan, and I add basil & oregano to the cheese.
I use packaged crust mix, usually Pillsbury brand. When people ask and I tell them that, they are always surprised. I don’t get the same kind of crispy, thin exterior to the crust that you get at most pizza joints. The exterior, on the bottom, is somewhat like the bottom crust on a loaf of bread in texture, thickness, and consistency.
I have no idea how a pizza made on a pre-made crust, or a take & bake, would turn out in a cast iron skillet.
The only places where you are going to find real anchovies that you would be willing to eat are those that make and serve authentic caesar salads. Find that and you are good to go.
We had a couple great ones in FL, it’s one of the very few things I miss.
Whenever I do homeade, I do the crust alone until it just starts to change colors then I pull it, add toppings and finish in the oven. It’s really the only way to do a crispy crust at home.