Socca, a specialty of Nice, France, is a thin pancake made from chickpeas with a crispy exterior and a soft, creamy interior. Its origins lie in Genoa, Italy, where it’s typically called farinata. Nowadays, there are countless global variations, and my version features lightly-broiled flatbread with a bright herb salad and garlicky yogurt sauce.
Socca is a chickpea flatbread traditionally baked in a wood oven with a thin and crispy exterior and a soft, creamy interior. This easy socca recipe requires less than five ingredients and very little active prep, so it's ideal for a quick lunch or weeknight dinner.
While it’s difficult to replicate the classic wood-fired flavors at home, a cast iron pan, a broiler, and a bit of cumin for smokiness (thanks to a tip from David Lebovitz) yield a delicious result with a crispy texture.
Nowadays, people serve it in lots of different ways, from a simple herb-flecked flatbread to a stuffing for sandwiches. Here, I serve it like a pizza crust, topped with a simple salad and a dollop of garlic yogurt.
Ingredient Notes
The beauty of socca is that it requires just a few simple ingredients to come together.
For the socca:
- Chickpea flour: Chickpea flour forms the base of the pancake and offers an earthy flavor, with a bit of nuttiness. You'll want to purchase garbanzo bean flour. I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Olive oil adds both flavor and moisture to the pancake. Don't skip this!
- Cumin: Cumin is not a traditional ingredient in socca; but here, it's a genius addition. A wood-fired oven, unlike a home oven, lacks that slight edge of smokiness. So, thanks to a tip from David Lebovitz, a pinch of cumin offers just a bit of smoky flavor to mimic a wood oven.
For the herb salad:
- Frisee (or lettuce): I love using a textured green like frisee to offer a bit of crunch alongside the socca. You could also use arugula or escarole.
- Fennel: The sweet, slightly anise-y flavors of fennel pair so nicely with the earthy chickpea flavor in socca.
- Herbs: Here, I use parsley and mint, but any sort of soft, fresh herbs like basil and dill would be delicious too!
How to Make Socca
This recipe has a few components, but each of them are quite simple and straightforward! Let's walk through each step.
Step 1: Preheat the skillet. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet on an oven rack fitted in the top-third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C. This step gets the cast-iron pan really hot so that the socca cooks quickly!
Step 2: Meanwhile, prepare the socca batter. Mix the chickpea flour, salt, and cumin together.
Slowly pour in the water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and mix constantly until a smooth batter forms. Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Step 3: Make the garlic yogurt. Mix the yogurt and garlic together, then season with salt and pepper. Keep in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the components.
Step 4: Prepare the herb salad. Just before you bake the socca, prepare the salad (otherwise it will get soggy if sitting too long)!
Mix the frisee, fennel, herbs, and salt and pepper. Season with a bit of lemon juice, and set aside.
Step 5: Bake the socca. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven, swirl in a bit of olive oil, then pour in the batter in an even layer.
Broil for a few minutes, rotating the pan to evenly char the top. Once it's nicely golden brown with some charred spots, remove the pan from the oven.
Step 6. Cool socca until warm, but not hot. Top with the salad and serve with skyr. Slice into wedges, and enjoy!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Socca: Leftover socca will last 1 to 2 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat any leftover slices by placing them on a baking sheet and reheating at 350°F/177°C for 5 - 10 minutes until warmed through. You can also freeze leftover slices by storing them in an airtight ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 350°F/177°C for 5 - 10 minutes until warmed through.
- Herb salad: The herb salad will get soggy with time, so I recommend preparing it just before serving.
- Garlic yogurt: The garlic yogurt will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge. I love serving leftover yogurt with kebabs, grilled fish, or spiced chickpeas.
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Happy eating! Love, KarishmaSocca
Equipment
Ingredients
For the socca
- 1 cup chickpea flour, specifically garbanzo bean flour
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, or ¼ teaspoon Morton Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- A pinch of black pepper
For the garlic yogurt
- ½ cup greek yogurt, or skyr
- 1 small garlic clove, grated or finely minced
- Salt and black pepper
For the herb salad
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced fennel
- ⅔ cup frisee, or any textured greens, such as arugula or escarole
- ⅓ cup finely chopped herbs, such as mint, parsley, basil, or dill
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet on an oven rack fitted in the top-third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F/232°C.
- Prepare the socca batter: Mix 1 cup chickpea flour, ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin until combined. Slowly pour in 1 cup water, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add a pinch of black pepper.Cover batter and let rest for at least 30 minutes up to 12 hours; this helps the flour absorb the water and develop flavor.
- Make the garlic yogurt: Whisk ½ cup greek yogurt with 1 small garlic clove (grated), and season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, make the salad: Just before baking the socca, mix all salad ingredients in a bowl (⅓ cup thinly sliced fennel ⅔ cup frisee, and ⅓ cup finely chopped herbs) and season to taste with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Set aside. If you're preparing this dish ahead of time, make the salad just before baking (or serving) the socca to prevent it from getting soggy.
- Bake the socca: Switch the oven to the broiler setting on high. Carefully remove the preheated skillet from the oven with an oven mitt or pot holder and swirl in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Pour the batter in an even layer, then immediately place it back in the oven. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes until blistered all over the top and browned on the bottom. You may need to rotate the skillet every couple of minutes for a more even blistering.
- Remove socca from the oven, and cool slightly until warm but not hot. Slice socca into wedges, and serve with salad and garlic skyr.Note: If your cast-iron pan is well worn and seasoned, the socca should not stick to the pan. Just to be safe, though, use a firm metal spatula to assist in removing the slices.
KarenAnn
As a vegetarian, this socco looks great but what other pan can I use in place of a cast iron pan since I don't have one and I'm not getting one?
Karishma
Hi KarenAnn,
That's a great question. For this particular recipe, a cast-iron is the recommended option because it's relatively non-stick and can withstand broiling. Most non-stick pans can't handle broiling, so here are a few other options:
1. Use a 10-inch broiler-safe stainless steel frying pan. The only issue here is that it may cause more stickage (I haven't tried this myself).
2. Use an oven-safe non-stick pan and bake the socca instead of broiling it. Here's a recipe without broiling: https://www.loveandlemons.com/socca-recipe
3. Cook it on the stovetop instead of the oven. Here's a recipe: https://www.thefieryvegetarian.com/simple-stovetop-socca/
Sorry there isn't an ideal substitute, but hopefully this helps!