Easy Cheats Pissaladière on a Baguette Recipe

A proper pissaladière is one of the great French snacks: slow-cooked onions, anchovies and black olives piled onto a thick, bread-like dough and baked until golden. This cheats version skips the dough entirely and uses a baguette instead, which gives you all the same flavours in a fraction of the time. No proving, no kneading, no waiting. Just caramelised onions, anchovies, olives and crispy bread.

I first fell in love with pissaladière after making Franck Dangereux’s version, and I have been making variations of it ever since. The cheats baguette version came about on a day when I was craving all those flavours but had no time to make dough. It worked so well that it became my go-to. The onions take about half an hour, but that is mostly hands-off time and it is worth every minute.

What Is Pissaladière?

Pissaladière is a Southern French flatbread from the Nice region, topped with caramelised onions, anchovies and Niçoise olives. It is close in spirit to a pizza but with a thicker, softer bread base and a topping that is entirely about the combination of sweet onions, salty anchovies and briny olives. The name comes from pissalat, a traditional Niçoise condiment made from puréed anchovies and sardines.

It is served as a snack, a starter, or sliced thick with a crispy green salad alongside. This cheats version on a baguette captures everything that makes the original great, just faster.

The Anchovies

Do not be tempted to skip the anchovies or reduce them significantly. They are not optional here, they are the point. The chopped anchovies cook into the onions and melt into the oil, adding an intensely savoury depth that you cannot replicate any other way. The whole fillets laid across the top before baking add a more pronounced anchovy hit and the traditional visual finish.

If you find anchovies too intensely salty straight from the tin, rinse them briefly under cold water before using. This tones them down without removing their flavour entirely.

If you want to make a version using bokkoms instead of anchovies for a South African West Coast twist, see my cheats bokkoms pissaladière

The Onions

The onions are the foundation of this dish and they cannot be rushed. Twenty to twenty-five minutes over a low heat is what takes them from raw and sharp to sweet, silky and deeply savoury. Stir them regularly and keep the heat low enough that they soften without browning. They should be golden, not dark.

The good news is that the onion mixture can be made well in advance and stored in the fridge for up to three days. Having a batch ready means this dish comes together in under thirty minutes when you need it. Double the quantity and use the leftovers in sandwiches, on pizza, or stirred through pasta.

The Baguette

Slice a third off the top of the baguette rather than cutting it straight down the middle. This gives the base more structure and makes it easier to pile on the onions without everything sliding off. Press your fingers into the exposed bread to semi-hollow it out slightly, which helps the onion mixture sit in the bread rather than on top of it.

This also works well on sourdough slices, a focaccia base, or flatbread if that is what you have.

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot from the oven with a crispy green salad alongside. It is also excellent cold, which makes it a great option for a picnic or packed lunch. Cut into thick slices and served as a snack with drinks, it goes faster than you expect.

Easy Cheats Pissaladière on a Baguette Recipe

Slow-cooked caramelised onions, anchovies and black olives on a crispy toasted baguette. All the flavour of a classic French pissaladière with no dough and no proving. Serves 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a snack.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 2 small baguettes approximately 25 to 35cm each, or 1 larger baguette
• A generous splash of olive oil
• 3 large white onions peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 6 anchovy fillets finely chopped, plus 6 whole fillets to garnish
• A small handful of pitted Kalamata olives to garnish
• Freshly ground black or white pepper

Instructions

• heat to low and cook slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are very soft and lightly golden. Do not let them brown.
• Stir through the chopped anchovies and season with a little pepper. Remove from the heat.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Slice a third off the top of each baguette lengthways so the base is slightly thicker than the top. Press your fingers into the cut surface to semi-hollow out the bread slightly. This helps the onion mixture sit in the baguette rather than sliding off.
• Divide the onion mixture evenly between the two baguettes and spread in a generous layer. Lay 3 whole anchovy fillets across the top of each baguette in a criss-cross pattern, or cut thicker fillets in half lengthways and use 6 halves per baguette. Dot the olives along the top.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and crisp.
• Serve hot with a crispy green salad, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Notes

The onion mixture can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the fridge. Reheat gently before spreading on the baguettes. Double the onion quantity and use the leftovers in sandwiches, on pizza, or stirred through pasta. This dish is also excellent cold, making it a good picnic or packed lunch option.

Storage: Store leftover assembled pissaladière wrapped in foil at room temperature for up to one day, or in the fridge for up to two days.

Reheating: Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 8 to 10 minutes until warmed through and the bread has crisped up again.

Freezing: Not suitable for freezing once assembled. The onion mixture alone freezes well for up to one month.

Servings: 2

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