Crispy, Chewy, Gluten-Free: Socca (Chickpea Pancake) Recipe Reviews

Socca is a classic street food from the South of France. In Nice you'll see street vendors with big smoking grills cooking wafer-thin socca pancakes. They chop them up, piping hot, and give them to you with flurries of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. When consumed with the ice-cold rosé of the region, it's the taste of Nice.

We gave you several good things for appetizers and hors d'ouevres today: stuffed figs, hot brandade, and a delicious cheese. Well, here's one more. This is our favorite evening appetizer; we've made it countless times over the last couple months. It's hot, chewy, crispy, nutty delicious and, for a bonus, gluten-free too. Let us tell you why you absolutely must make this — and soon.

I ate socca when in Nice last year and loved the slightly bitter taste of the chickpea flour and the way it shows off the rich olive oils of the area. It's salty, peppery, silky, chewy, crunchy around the burnt edges. You can always eat more socca.

I didn't expect to make socca at home; it seems to belong exclusively to the south of France. But then David Lebovitz posted his own recipe for it, and it looked so remarkably easy that I gave it a try. I was hosting a gluten-free friend for lunch and wanted to serve her something new.

The recipe was simple enough: you mix up a batter of chickpea flour, water, a little olive oil, a touch of cumin and salt. You let this stand for a couple hours. Then you heat up a cast iron skillet or pan in the oven and pour in more olive oil.

Spread the batter in a thin layer, broil it for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the batter is, and then take it out when the top looks charred. Drizzle on more olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and chop into pieces.

Well, it was quite a success! This stuff is ridiculously easy, and if you broil it long enough you even get that charred, smoky taste. Chop it into little pieces and it's not only a great bread substitute for gluten-free folks — it's the perfect finger food for pre-dinner appetizers. It doesn't fill you up, and that smoky chewiness with a hint of bitter just makes you hungry for dinner.

I've served this now both cold and hot, plain with salt and oil, and festooned with roasted tomatoes. I've served platters of it with cheese and beer, and small plates with summer vegetables and good wine. It's my favorite appetizer and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

• Get the recipe: Socca at David Lebovitz's blog

A few notes:

• If you want to be absolutely sure your chickpea flour is gluten-free, buy it from a GF brand or in GF-certified packaging, like from Bob's Red Mill. Otherwise, you can find chickpea flour at many health food groceries, and in Indian and Mediterranean groceries. In Indian groceries it will probably be labeled besan.

• Do add the touch of cumin David recommends; it gives just the right hint of smokiness.

• I have some occasional troubles with this sticking to the pan. It's never in between; either it sticks like murder, or it slides right out. I think that it sticks when the pan is too hot and when I haven't put in enough oil.

Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. Delicious!

(Images: Faith Durand)

Originally published October 14, 2009.

Comments (27)

I use chickpea flour in just about everything; good to know it has yet another use. Thanks for this!

Awesome! Thank you for sharing.

i was just taught how to make a tuscan version of this (recipe on my blog).. i have to say, this version sounds much tastier! the flavor of the one i had was predominately beany. i may have to give this a try.

Num num num. I also tried Socca for the first time last year in Nice. Love at first bite. Thanks for sharing--I'll definitely be trying out this recipe.

I'm gluten-intolerant and so appreciative that you posted this! It looks fantastic. From the look of it, seems to me it would also make a great cracker substitute, or go well dipped in hummus or tzatziki.

@davebarnes, I assure there is nothing silly about a gluten-free recipe when you've got Celiac Disease.

I really like socca. There's a restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called Nizza that serves it topped with all sorts of wonderful things. It's a perfect accompaniment to a large bowl of tomato soup.

Thanks for the #gfree love. =)

On current issue of VegNews Magazine, I saw a similar recipe for Farinata which the recipe is very similar, only you bake it and not broil it. The end result looks exactly like your photo. VegNews version is: posted here by a reader:

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=766845

I had made my comments on this site where instead of using a 12-inch pizza pan, I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet preheated in the oven at temperature specified in recipe. There are so many versions of Farinata or Socca recipes written, but I tend to like this version which is quite different but very delicious. The texture is very much like a flat bread and the crispier the bottom is, the tastier.

I am very addicted to this recipe and will try yours to compare the difference. Not to mention...I've been adidicted to Falafels too. What's with that?

Socca is even better with lots of black pepper and lemon juice squeezed on top. I live right next to Nice and never, ever get tired of eating this dish.

I made this for my blog a few months back! See?</a href>

No, there's nothing silly about celiac disease; but neither is there anything silly about this recipe. It's legitimately delicious, and just happens to be gluten-free. Much like pork is gluten-free and delicious. The difference is, socca coincidentally looks and tastes a little like bread.

Socca ftw!

ABreadADay.com

Oh wow... I just tried this tonight, what a winner. Absolutely incredible. Like the lightest naan bread you've ever eaten.

It was totally worth accidentally setting my pan on fire while heating the oil, waiting for the fire to go out, waiting for the pan to cool a little, cleaning the pan, then restarting to eat this. Although if you can avoid that process, I'm sure it's just as good.

In Algeria, we have a very similar street food. But unlike Socca, which is thin and crusty, it is more like a custard and moist and soooo addictive with flurries of ground cumin on top and some harissa sauce. I make it quite often for dinner when out of inspiration and even my daughter, who is 4, loves it!

I've made this once before, and besides slightly over-salting it, it's great stuff! Anybody have other recommendations for toppings or variations, or what to serve it with?

I'm so glad this was re-posted. This sounds yummy and I'd love to try this. Must get me some chickpea flour.

@rosebud, oh do. It is so good! I make this all the time, especially in the summer. It's the perfect appetizer.

@lynell I like to serve it with tapenade or slow-roasted tomatoes. You can also serve it alongside thin slices of a cheese like Manchego or Parmesan. The simplest way, though, is just to put the socca out on a big board, and to put out a bowl of good olives too. With a little wine - so delicious!

@ivyr

hilarious!!!

I am living in Israel for the year and am sure that I could find it here. Does anyone know what it would be called in Hebrew?

Mmm, I used to know a bartender at Nizza who would slip us one of these every time we visited. I somehow thought of it as one of those complicated things that only people who hail from the region can really pull off, but now I'm excited to try it!

I make this all the time. Sometimes I do variations, like add finely diced black olives and rosemary. Makes a yummy, protein-rich vegan dinner!

I cannot wait to try this.

I love socca! My aunt has Celiac disease so I plan on making this for her at our next family gathering.

I had a version of this in Pisa, Italy, which was thinner and not so crunchy and served in bread like a sandwich. Absolutely delicious!

Can you simply cook them up in a pan or griddle like regular pancakes? Using your oven to make them one at a time looks like it would be a bit time consuming considering I would inhale them as soon as they are out of the oven.

I'm wondering the same thing as comicgeek, but for the reason that I don't own any cast iron. But this looks so good that I want to find a way to make it. I <3 chickpeas.

I've never made these on the stovetop, but they are made in the open air over charcoal fires in the Nice markets. So I think that you could definitely adapt them for the stovetop or the grill. Next time I make them I will try to make one on the stove and report back.

They are easier in the oven, though, because you don't have to flip them. If you don't have a cast iron pan you can use a tart or cake pan - anything round, really. And they bake in about 5-6 minutes; they're very fast.

Comicgeek--I make them in a pan on the stovetop, and it's great. Usually I just use salt and pepper, but now and then I add a bit of cajun seasoning.

In Italy we call this farinata...probably tastes just as good no matter where you are

I just made this from Mark Bittman's recipe and it's painfully salty. He has you use a tsp of salt to 1 cup besan. I wonder if my use of a 10 inch skillet, rather than his 12 inch, somehow concentrated the flavor? I think doing it again I'd probably leave out the salt entirely and just salt the top. Love the concept, though!