When I was a kid, there was one pizza joint in the small little town I called home. We didn’t go there often, but whenever we did, I had a favorite. The pizza with shrimp! I think it was technically called the Hawaiian Luau Pizza or something like that.
Whatever it was called, it was delicious!
The shrimp added just enough flavor and texture to make it memorable. It was my absolute favorite pizza.
And then I grew up and moved away and forgot all about it.
That little pizza joint has long since closed. And now my kids go to the doctor in that old building, that’s been converted.
As I was sitting in the waiting room there this week watching Bryson play while we waited for his appointment, I saw something that brought back memories of that Hawaiian luau pizza.
You see, hanging on the wall of the playroom was the old skiing mouse picture from that pizza joint.
And my mouth started watering for some pizza with shrimp!
Pizza for Lunch
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Our annual meal plan calls for homemade pizza for lunch every Thursday.
So, I picked up a bag of salad shrimp and headed home to wait. 😀
On Thursday, I shared my plan with the kids. Some of them thought I was crazy. They didn’t think shrimp belonged on pizza.
Of course these are the same kids who think pepperoni is the only acceptable pizza topping, so I didn’t let them discourage me. Since I always make two pizzas, I just make one of them pepperoni.
I made the dough I always make and while it rested, I thought about the shrimp.
Dumping frozen shrimp on a pizza would be a disaster. It’d thaw during baking and flood the pizza.
So I decided to give it a quick warming cook in a pan with some butter and garlic. I cooked the shrimp just for a couple of minutes, until it was all completely thawed.
Then I let it cool while I rolled out the dough and parbaked it for a few minutes.
Once it came out of the oven, I slathered it with pizza sauce. Then I sprinkled on some cut Canadian bacon. And pineapple tidbits.
Then I used a slotted spoon to get the shrimp out of the fluids of the pan. And I sprinkled those all around.
Finally, I added the cheese and put it in the oven to bake.
Thumbs Up!
Bryan comes home for lunch on Thursdays. So in all, half of the family ate some of my Hawaiian Luau Pizza and the other half had pepperoni.
The verdict?
Everyone who tried it wants me to make it again! Two thumbs up all around.
Except Jayme thinks I should use bigger shrimp!
So Hawaiian Luau Pizza will definitely be on the menu again in the future. Since it only took half a bag of shrimp, I still have the other half tucked away in the freezer to pull out one Thursday afternoon.
Are There Any Foods From Your Childhood You’ve Recently Recreated?
Food and memories are often intertwined. Are there any foods that really stand out from your childhood memories? Have you tried recreating your own version of them?
I’d love for you to share in the comments below.