55mHibimeshi (Food for the Soul)
Hibimeshi Camembert Rice Pilaf
Comfort Food Mains · Medium
Hibimeshi Wood-Fired White Pizza & Grilled Chicken
- Prep
- 35m
- Cook
- 25m
- Total
- 1h
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Episode 7 of Hibimeshi (Food for the Soul) takes the club outdoors to a wood-fired oven glow — a white pizza on crème fraîche, not red tomato sauce, with drained mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, bell pepper strips, thin tomato rounds, and seared tuna added once the crust blisters. Beside the oven, wings and chicken drumsticks char on wire mesh like the anime grill plate.
Start by placing a pizza steel or stone on the middle rack and preheating your oven to its maximum (about 480°F / 250°C) for at least 45 minutes — that long preheat is part of the 35-minute prep window, not extra waiting. While the steel heats, bring dough to room temperature, drain mozzarella, and prep vegetables and tuna.
Sushi-grade tuna gets a quick seasoned sear, thin slices, then goes on the pizza off heat or in the final 60 seconds so centers stay rosé. One recipe feeds four with one large pizza plus wings and drumsticks; plan 35 minutes prep and 25 at heat.
Ingredients
Recipe ingredients
- Fresh Tuna Steak (Sushi-Grade)Key12 oz (340 g)
sushi-grade; seared rare, sliced thin
- Crème fraîcheKey¾ cup (180 g)
white base — no tomato sauce
- Refrigerated pizza doughKey1 lb (450 g)
one large or two small balls
- Fresh mozzarellaKey8 oz (225 g)
drained 15 minutes, torn — or low-moisture mozzarella
- Red bell pepper1 medium
thin strips
- Yellow bell pepper1 medium
thin strips
- Button mushrooms8 oz (225 g)
thinly sliced
- Ripe tomatoes1 medium
thin seeded slices — not a sauce base
- Chicken wingsKey1½ lb (680 g)
split flats and drumettes
- Small chicken drumsticksKey4 small (about 1 lb / 450 g)
pilons — grill beside the wings like Episode 7
Pantry staples
Salt, oil, butter, and other basics you likely already have — scaled with servings above.
- Garlic · minced into crème fraîche1 clove
- Kosher salt · pizza and chicken2 tsp
- Black pepper · pizza and chicken1 tsp
- Neutral oil · tuna sear and grill1 tbsp
- Extra-virgin olive oil · finish on baked pizza1 tbsp
Shop ingredients & tools
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Premium
Pizza steel (14×16 in)
Preheated steel mimics a wood-fired deck — essential for a blistered Episode 7 crust.
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Wooden pizza peel
Launch the white pizza without tearing the crème fraîche base.
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Shichirin charcoal grill with wire mesh
Grill wings and drumsticks like Episode 7 while the oven runs.
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Shop on AmazonInstructions
- 1
Preheat the pizza steel
Place a pizza steel or stone on the middle rack and preheat the oven to its maximum setting (about 480°F / 250°C) for at least 45 minutes — start this first; it runs through your prep time. Bring 1 lb (450 g) refrigerated pizza dough to room temperature while the oven heats.
- 2
Prep vegetables, tomato, and mozzarella
Stem and seed 1 medium red bell pepper and 1 medium yellow bell pepper; cut into thin strips. Thinly slice 8 oz (225 g) button mushrooms. Cut 1 medium ripe tomato into thin rounds; scrape out watery pulp and seeds. Tear 8 oz (225 g) fresh mozzarella, then drain on paper towels 15 minutes (or use low-moisture mozzarella).
- 3
Sear and slice the tuna
Pat 12 oz (340 g) fresh tuna steak dry; season with kosher salt and black pepper. Sear in 1 tbsp neutral oil over high heat about 30 seconds per side — rare in the center. Cool slightly, then cut across the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices. Reserve off heat until the pizza finishes baking.
- 4
Mix the white base
Stir ¾ cup (180 g) creme fraiche (crème fraîche) with 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.
- 5
Shape and top the pizza
On a floured peel, stretch the dough into a 12–14-inch round. Spread the creme fraiche mixture evenly, leaving a ½-inch border. Scatter drained mozzarella, sliced mushrooms, bell pepper strips, and tomato rounds — crème first, vegetables and cheese; tuna goes on after baking.
- 6
Bake until blistered
Slide the pizza onto the hot steel. Bake 10–12 minutes until the crust is spotted brown and the cheese bubbles. Lay the reserved tuna slices on top and return to the oven at most 60 seconds, or simply cover with foil off heat so residual cheese heat warms the fish without overcooking. Drizzle 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, rest 2 minutes, then cut into wedges.
- 7
Season the chicken
Pat 1½ lb (680 g) chicken wings dry and toss with half the remaining kosher salt and black pepper. Season 4 small chicken drumsticks (about 1 lb / 450 g) the same way and brush lightly with neutral oil.
- 8
Grill wings and drumsticks
Set a wire mesh over a shichirin charcoal grill, gas grill, or broiler on medium-high. Grill the wings 18–22 minutes, turning often, until crisp and 165°F (74°C) inside. Grill the drumsticks, turning and moving to cooler heat as needed, until the skin is charred and the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). Serve beside the cut white pizza.
Pro tips
Do not spread tomato on the dough — only thin seeded tomato slices on top. Drain fresh mozzarella on paper towels 15 minutes or use low-moisture mozzarella to keep the center from boiling. Slice mushrooms thin so they cook through in a 10–12 minute bake. Season tuna before searing; add slices after baking or for the last minute only. Thin crème fraîche with 1 minced garlic clove and kosher salt. Flour your peel well; rest the pizza 2 minutes before cutting.
Storage & leftovers
Pizza is best hot from the oven — leftovers reheat on a dry skillet over medium, not microwave. Grilled chicken keeps 2 days refrigerated; re-crisp skin in a 400°F (200°C) oven 8 minutes.
What to serve with
Simple arugula salad with lemon, or the Episode 2 pilaf on a rewatch marathon. Sparkling water or a dry lager cuts through crème fraîche richness.
Equipment
All kitchen equipment guidesFAQ
Episode 7 shows a white pizza — crème fraîche and mozzarella as the base, with fresh tomato as a topping only, not a red sauce. That keeps the crust blond and the pale layer visible like the anime frame.
