Name: Sardenaira
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 3 h 58 min
Cuisine: Italian, Ligurian
Ingredients: 400 g strong white flour; 270 ml lukewarm water; 5 g instant yeast; 8 g fine sea salt; 25 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 350 g crushed tomatoes, drained if very watery; 1 small onion, finely sliced; 8 anchovy fillets, rinsed and drained; 70 g Taggiasca olives, pitted or whole; 2 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and drained; 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled or lightly crushed; 1 tsp dried oregano; 35 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pinch fine sea salt

Sardenaira: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep30 minutes

Cook28 minutes

Total3 h 58 min

Yield1 large tray / 8 servings

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The dish

About Sardenaira

Sanremo tourism presents Sardenaira as a defining local speciality and notes its De.Co. municipal recognition. Tomato, olives, anchovies and garlic are central to its identity.

The dough should be soft, well risen and more focaccia-like than a thin crisp pizza base. A generous olive-oil coating protects the surface beneath the tomato.

Toppings are assertive but used in small amounts: salty anchovy, caper and olive should punctuate the tomato rather than create an overloaded layer.

Whole garlic cloves are traditionally distributed over the surface in some codified versions. They perfume the focaccia during baking and can be removed at the table if preferred.

Technique

Three things that matter

Give the dough time. Two rises create an airy crumb that remains tender beneath the tomato.
Keep the topping thin. Excess sauce makes the centre heavy and prevents the base from baking through.
Finish with oil and oregano. A final small pour restores fragrance after the hot bake.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Dough

400 gstrong white flour
270 mllukewarm water
5 ginstant yeast
8 gfine sea salt
25 mlextra-virgin olive oil

Topping

350 gcrushed tomatoesdrained if very watery
1 smallonionfinely sliced
8anchovy filletsrinsed and drained
70 gTaggiasca olivespitted or whole
2 tbspsalted capersrinsed and drained
6garlic clovesunpeeled or lightly crushed
1 tspdried oregano
35 mlextra-virgin olive oil
1 pinchfine sea salt

Step by step

Method

Mix and rise the dough

Make the dough. Combine flour and yeast. Add water and mix until shaggy, then add salt and olive oil and knead 7–8 minutes until elastic.
The dough should be soft and slightly tacky but able to stretch without tearing.
First rise. Cover and leave at room temperature for about 2 hours, until doubled.
A fingertip indentation should fill back slowly rather than spring immediately.
Pan and rise again. Oil the tray generously, stretch the dough gently to the corners and leave 45–60 minutes.
The dough should become visibly puffy without losing its dimples.

Prepare and apply the topping

Concentrate the tomato. Mix crushed tomatoes with sliced onion and a pinch of salt; if very watery, simmer 8–10 minutes and cool.
The topping should spoon thickly rather than run across the tray.
Spread lightly. Spoon a thin even tomato layer over the risen dough, leaving a small border.
Red should cover the surface without pooling in the dimples.
Add the traditional accents. Distribute anchovies, olives, capers and garlic evenly. Sprinkle with half the oregano and drizzle with most of the olive oil.
Every portion should receive a little of the salty topping rather than one overloaded area.

Bake and finish

Bake hot. Bake at 210°C for 22–28 minutes.
The edges should be deep golden and the underside should feel firm, not damp.
Check the centre. Lift a corner with a spatula and tap the base.
The centre should be baked through and resilient, not gummy under the tomato.
Finish. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and oregano, then rest 10 minutes before cutting.
The crumb should settle but remain soft and airy.

Practical guidance

Taggiasca olives

These small Ligurian olives are the regional choice; another mild black olive can stand in when unavailable.

Garlic cloves

Leaving cloves whole keeps their perfume gentle. Diners can eat or discard them after baking.

Serving temperature

Sardenaira is good warm or at room temperature, making it suitable for picnics and aperitivo.

Troubleshooting

The centre is gummy. The sauce was too wet, the dough too thick or the tray insufficiently hot. Drain the tomatoes and bake until the underside firms.
The dough is dense. It needed more fermentation time or was aggressively degassed during stretching.
The topping is too salty. Anchovies, capers and olives were not balanced. Rinse capers and anchovies and avoid salting the tomato heavily.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1/8 tray
Calories: approximately 330 kcal
Carbohydrates: 48 g
Protein: 10 g
Fat: 12 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: 820 mg

Sodium varies widely with anchovies, capers and olives.

Allergens and food safety

Keep anchovies refrigerated until use.

If the baked Sardenaira is not eaten within 2 hours, refrigerate it because of the fish topping.

Handle the very hot oiled baking tray carefully when stretching dough and checking the base.

FAQ

Is Sardenaira a pizza?

It resembles pizza visually, but in Sanremo it is treated as a local focaccia speciality with its own dough and traditional topping.

Why are there whole garlic cloves on top?

They are a documented part of the traditional topping and perfume the tomato and oil during baking.

Can the dough be made overnight?

Yes. Use less yeast and refrigerate after mixing, then let the dough warm and relax before stretching into the tray.

Final note

What matters most

Result: A soft, airy Ligurian focaccia with a baked tomato surface punctuated by anchovy, olive, caper, garlic and oregano.
Key: Build structure with two rises, keep tomato moisture under control and use the salty toppings as accents rather than a heavy layer.