Socca

Updated June 20, 2024

Socca
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,245)
Notes
Read community notes

This is essentially a large chickpea pancake from Provence (and neighboring Liguria, where it’s called farinata). It’s traditionally cooked in wood ovens on copper disks, roughly cut and served hot or warm. (In the main market in Nice, it’s baked a few hundred yards away and delivered by bicycle, to be wrapped in paper and eaten on the street.) If you have no wood or copper, that’s no problem. They’re nearly as great in a skillet or in a pizza pan in your oven, and totally foolproof.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 appetizer servings
  • 1cup chickpea flour
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 to 6tablespoons olive oil
  • ½large onion, thinly sliced
  • 2teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

165 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 92 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 450. Put a well-seasoned or nonstick 12-inch pizza pan or cast-iron skillet in oven. (If you have a socca pan, obviously that will work well also.)

  2. Step 2

    Put the chickpea flour in a bowl; add the salt and pepper. Slowly add 1 cup lukewarm water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and let sit while the oven heats, or for as long as 12 hours. The batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the pan, pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into it and swirl. Add the onions return the pan to the oven and cook, stirring once or twice, until they’re well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the rosemary. Stir the onions and rosemary into the batter, then immediately pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the pancake is firm and the edges set.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the broiler and brush the top of the pancake with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil if it looks dry. Set the pancake a few inches away from the broiler, and cook just long enough to brown it in spots. Cut it into wedges, and serve hot or warm.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,245 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

1 cup of water needs to be in the ingredient list.

I've made this for years. I don't add onions (never saw them when I had it in France), and after cooking, I sprinkle the top with chopped Rosemary, coarse ground black pepper, and a few drops of good Olive Oil. Excellent snack with a good Rose'.

I first had this as Socca in Monaco at a street market! My mother-in-law is from Liguria (a lovely town called Laigueglia), and cousins served it as a part of a quick casual supper. The great thing about it is you can be really creative. The traditional recipe, as presented here, is wonderful, but you can add a variety of veg. I have put spinach, cavalo nero, mushrooms, pecorino or parmesean grated on top. But be creative. Lovely as a side or as a main with salad.

Very easy and very good! I added 8 oz sliced mushrooms, which I seared in a cast iron pan first until they released their moisture it evaporated. Then I added the sliced onion and proceeded with the recipe as written. I would say it serves four as a light main course with a few sides--I served it with roast asparagus and a fresh tomato salad.

I've made this recipe a lot and it's a great dish. I especially appreciate being able to serve this to my (unreasonably large number of) gluten-free friends. I've found that it has a nicer texture if I skip the baking stage. I cook it on top of the stove until it is browned on the bottom, then directly to the broiler. Center stays moist and the bottom is a little crispy/chewy. I use way more onion than called for and caramelize them for a long time. Copious olive oil, sprinkle of cheese.

I have made it a lot, and though its a forgiving recipe, it can be a bit dry if you don't use enough olive oil in the batter or the pan, or don't let the batter sit long enough, or if your pan is too big and it becomes thin. Also make sure you follow the cooking method heating up the pan and pouring the batter into plenty of hot oil. If you adjust those things it is heavenly! Hope that helps!

Fantastic and very Ligurian!
Try a few red peeper flakes in the batter
And even a bit of goat cheese and pear at the broiling end.

I make a half portion of this sometimes when I'm dining alone. I use a shallow glass dish and cook it in the toaster oven, using za'atar in the batter and sprinkled on the onions while they cook. Delicious, and the glass makes it cook really evenly!

Super easy to make and delish. Omitted the onions and added an extra TBSP olive oil to batter. Also flipped it over after broiling and back into the cast iron pan, under the broiler an additional 3 minutes to brown both sides. After broiler, sprinkled with dried herbs and sea salt.
Made a nice base for fresh tomato, mozzarella, arugula-sprinkled with a little lemon olive oil and salt. Could see slicing into small wedges and serving with hummus, feta and olives-will try that!

So easy and so good! Perfect with literally any soup. I don't find there's a need to sear the onions first, just slice them thin and add to the batter with the fresh rosemary right before pouring the whole thing into the into the hot pan so it's all bubbly and fried on the bottom. I use a 10 inch cast iron so it's a bit thicker and takes about 20-25 minutes. I have noticed it is a bit better if you let the batter sit for at least 2 hrs.

I truly love this recipe for its ease, versatility, and deliciousness. It can absolutely be made under half an hour. I use the full teaspoon of salt each time and find the dish to be well-seasoned. It's rich but not overly oily, and well textured. A shortcut I love is using chopped scallion--there's no need to cook it before throwing it in the batter. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil, maybe use garlic oil instead of olive, and you have an extremely tasty riff on a scallion pancake.

I have made this socca for years. We like it for Sunday brunch with a cheese and fruit board.

Waaaaaay too much salt. Will try again at 1/4 tsp. Can't wait to use it as a base for pizza.

Rarely are foods 1) easy to make 2) delicious and 3) healthy. This recipe is all three. I will be making this again and again! I cooked the onions on the stove while the pan was heating in the oven which seems easier than the manner described in the recipe.

Added rosemary but not the onions. Put quartered olives on top midway but should have done it as soon as I put it in the pan. So good!!!!

Just a note that a pizza pan with holes would be disastrous with a batter this thin. That said, I've made this twice, and it was delicious!

Oh my goodness; I added garlic and rosemary to the batter, and topped it with tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan - simply lovely for supper with arugula salad. And gluten free to boot!

First time I made this I followed the instructions exactly and it was delicious. I didn't have a cast iron the second time and instead used a 9x13 1in deep sheet pan and doubled the amount of chickpea flour and water. Put it in the oven per instructions. Sauteed red onions and mixed cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds into the batter. Baked for 16 minutes. It tastes delicious! Pairs well with NYT cucumber salad.

This is a great recipe for those of us who are gluten, dairy, corn, egg free! It tastes like it has egg in it as the center is somewhat creamy while the edges are more cooked. Perhaps creaminess is due to the thinly sliced zucchini and red onion I added along with sprinkling peas on top. Delicious!

Hello, will the socca be too thick if cooked in a 9 inch cast iron pan? Thanks, Mary

Delicious. Followed directions and it was perfect.

use a whole onion

I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I made this in a small air fryer, half of the batter at a time. The air fryer browned the top of the Socca nicely.

I made it without the onions. I used only 3/4 teaspoon salt in the batter, but sprinkled a little Maldon salt, pepper and rosemary on top after I brushed on the olive oil. Very tasty.

I made this in a cast iron pan on the grill so as not to heat up the oven inside in the summer. Worked great!

Followed recipe exactly. Came out tasty, just like our experience in Italy. Served with sauté mushroom, pesto on the side and a Arugula salad. You could top this with pretty much anything you like.

I cut the recipe in half and happily ate the entire eight inch socca myself. As others suggested I reduced the salt. No fresh rosemary on hand, but used what I had- arugula from the garden in excess, left over oven roasted tomatoes and a bit of crumbled goat cheese. So good, and filling! The rosé from Provence didn’t hurt either…

Add an egg, reduce pepper.

A yummy vegan breakfast! You can mix it up the night before and bake in the morning.

This is delicious! My husband grew up with this dish in Uruguay, where It is called fainá. All the pizza places sold it. We made it like someone suggested - cooking it in the pre-heated skillet on top of the stove and finishing it under the broiler. Came out great!

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