New Haven White Clam Pizza Recipe

Clams may not be the first topping you'd think to toss onto a pizza, but the briny, perfectly chewy little bivalves can take an unassuming pie to new heights. I've had the honor of dining at small pizza chain Frank Pepe's in New Haven and have noshed on its iconic white clam pizza — a simple but absolutely scrumptious pie that served as inspiration for my own take on New Haven white clam pizza. The ingredients here are quite simple (as they are in Frank Pepe's version), relying on quality over quantity and a meticulous layering of flavors to achieve something truly special (and something that lets those clams shine, of course).

Any good pizza starts with the crust, and I wanted the crust in this recipe to mimic that wood-fired crust you'd get from the pizzeria. Since most of us don't have wood-fire pizza ovens in our homes (alas), I achieved a similar crust that has a nice textural balance of chew and crisp — and a little twinge of smoky char — by par-grilling it and then baking it with the toppings layered on. And those toppings aren't anything to overlook either. Briny clams steal the show no doubt, but extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, pecorino Romano cheese, and fresh herbs all have their own important flavors to contribute here, be they earthy, peppery olive oily notes, zippy twanginess, or hints of spice that help round out the pie. 

You'll need raw pizza dough to kick off this recipe, and while homemade pizza dough is ideal, store-bought will work in a pinch. This recipe yields two pizzas, so divide the dough into two balls. Next up is olive oil (extra-virgin preferred, and the higher the quality the better) along with salt, pepper, minced garlic, fresh oregano, red pepper flakes, grated pecorino Romano cheese, and fresh chopped parsley for garnishing. 

As for the clams, I simply call for drained, chopped clams to keep options open depending on availability and price point. Any canned, frozen, or fresh clams will work for this pizza. Canned clams offer a convenient option, being that they are already cooked, chopped, and ready to go, so if you use those, you can proceed with this recipe as written from start to finish. If you opt for fresh clams, you'll want to give them a light saute before adding them to the pizza, draining them after cooking, otherwise they could make the pizza too soggy. Make sure to fully thaw frozen clams if you go that route. The only type of clam I'd recommend avoiding would be smoked clams, as that smokiness in combination with the char from the grilled crust would create too smoky a pizza (and we're going for flavor balance here).

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

Drizzle a little olive oil on a plate and press each pizza dough portion into a flat circle.

Brush the dough with more of the olive oil.

Using your hands, stretch the dough into a large circle.

Once both dough portions are stretched, season each with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, carefully transfer the dough to the preheated grill.

Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until grill marks form.

Remove the crusts from the grill and set them aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the pizza crusts on the prepared baking sheet and generously brush them with olive oil.

Evenly sprinkle the crusts with garlic, clams, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Romano cheese.

Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the crusts are chewy-crisp and the cheese is bubbly.

Remove the pizzas from the oven.

Garnish the pizzas with chopped parsley before slicing and serving.

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Since I was specifically inspired by Frank Pepe's popular white clam pizza, I wanted to keep my ingredient choices close to what you'd get if you were ordering the pie right in New Haven. That said, since this is a homemade version, there are loads of customization possibilities, should you want to build on the already established flavors or make things a little more complex.

An easy way to bulk up this pizza would be to add more meat to accompany those clams. I like how Italian sausage and clams pair together; a fun pizza-like surf and turf would be lovely here. You also can't go wrong with a veggie route. Roasted bell peppers would pair wonderfully with the clams, sauteed spinach would work and especially complement those garlic notes, and jarred artichoke hearts would be a nice pairing with the pecorino Romano. Just make sure to drain any of them well before adding them to the pizza. Finally, you don't want to go too heavy handed with the cheese so as to let that bold, sharp pecorino shine. That said, a light sprinkle of fresh or grated mozzarella would add a nice bonus layer of cheesiness. Just a smattering will do the trick.

The benefit of ordering a pizza from a good pizzeria is that you'll get that wood-fired crust, which is trickier to achieve at home for the average cook. Grilling pizza dough is my hack for not having a pizza-specific oven as it helps impart that similar subtle smokiness and char that you'd get from a wood-fire. And thanks to the grill's higher-heat temperatures, you get this crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside crust, so even though it adds an extra layer of complexity to the recipe, it's one that's well worth it when you're making such a high-quality pie as this clam one.

As a word of caution, though, if this is your first time firing up the grill for the sake of pizza crust, I'd recommend coming armed with some backup dough. Like pancakes, the first pizza crust makes for good practice, so leaving a little wiggle room for a few overly-crisped "mess-up" crusts will make the whole process a little less stressful. Grilled pizza dough is also a very tasty snack on its own, so believe us: Any extra won't go to waste.

You may be wondering why we're not cooking the entire pizza on the grill, and more specifically, whether the two-part grill-then-bake process is strictly necessary — and the answer is yes. We are using oodles of olive oil in this recipe, not so much that the pizzas are drowning in oil, but enough to leave an impression, and enough to instill a flame risk if you were to throw that oiled-up crust on the grill. Par-grilling ensures we get those delicious charred flavors without the risk of any fires or safety hazards.

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