White Clam Pizza
intro
Briny, garlicky no-red-sauce white clam pizza features tender fresh clams, melted cheese, and a crisp chewy crust for a bright, savory, restaurant-worthy bite.
Ingredients
Steps
Steam and prep clams
Scrub clams under cold running water to remove surface grit, discarding any clams that stay open when firmly tapped. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large lidded pot over medium-high heat, add 2 sliced garlic cloves and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in white wine, add clams, cover, and steam for 3-4 minutes until all clams have fully opened. Discard any unopened clams, remove clam meat from shells, pat completely dry with paper towels, and set aside; strain and reserve 2 tablespoons of the clam steaming liquid.
Preheat oven and pan
Place a 14-inch pizza stone or heavy rimmed baking sheet on the middle oven rack, then preheat the oven to 260°C (500°F) for at least 20 minutes to ensure a sharply crisp crust. Sprinkle a wooden pizza peel or flat cutting board evenly with 2 tablespoons of fine cornmeal to prevent dough from sticking during assembly and transfer.
Stretch pizza dough
Place the room-temperature 450g pizza dough on the cornmeal-dusted peel. Gently press the dough out from the center into a 13-inch round, leaving a 1-inch thicker border for the crust; avoid using a rolling pin to preserve the dough’s light, airy texture. Drizzle the stretched dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, spreading it evenly across the surface (including the crust edge) with the back of a spoon.
Layer base toppings
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the oiled dough, leaving the 1-inch crust border clear. Scatter the remaining 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes across the cheese. Drizzle the reserved 2 tablespoons of strained clam steaming liquid over the cheese layer to add briny depth without causing sogginess.
Top with clams and bake
Distribute the patted-dry clam meat evenly across the cheese layer, then carefully slide the pizza off the peel onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 260°C (500°F), until the crust is deep golden brown and crispy at the edges, and the cheese is fully bubbly across the surface.
Finish and slice pizza
Use the pizza peel to remove the baked pizza from the oven, immediately sprinkling the finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped fresh parsley over the hot surface. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, let rest for 2 minutes to set the toppings, then slice into 8 even wedges and serve hot.
Tips
2.Let refrigerated pizza dough rest at room temperature for 1 full hour before stretching; cold dough will repeatedly shrink back and be impossible to shape into an even, thin round.
3.Resist the urge to overload the pizza with cheese; this classic New Haven style is designed to highlight the bright, briny flavor of clams, with cheese acting as a subtle binder rather than the star ingredient.
OMG this is exactly the white clam pizza I used to get at that tiny spot on Wooster Street when I visited my cousin in college! I was so worried I’d never replicate that briny, garlicky kick without a fancy coal oven, but following the directions for a super hot pizza stone worked like a charm. My whole family devoured it in 10 minutes at our Sunday dinner, even my picky teen who says he ‘hates seafood’ went back for a third slice. SO good, 10/10!
Game changer for our weekly pizza night! I prepped the dough ahead on Sunday and kept it in the fridge, then threw this together in 20 minutes on a busy Wednesday. The mix of pecorino, garlic, and a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes is *chef’s kiss*. Only note is I used canned chopped clams because fresh were sold out at my grocery store, and it still turned out amazing. Will be bringing this to our next neighborhood potluck for sure!
I was skeptical about a pizza without red sauce, y’all. I’m a diehard pepperoni and extra sauce guy, but my partner begged me to try this for our date night and wow. I’m converted. The olive oil base with the oregano and briny clams doesn’t even feel like it’s missing sauce. Knocked a star off because I burned the first crust because I got distracted watching the game, but that’s 100% on me, not the recipe.
This recipe looks so solid, 5 stars even before I make it! Has anyone tried this with a gluten free pizza crust? My celiac daughter has been begging for clam pizza ever since we saw it on a food show, but I don’t want to waste good clams on a crust that doesn’t hold up!
Made this on my outdoor pizza oven last weekend for the guys during our football watch party and it was the first pie gone! I added a little extra bacon crumble because, well, bacon makes everything better, but kept everything else exactly as written. Got so many texts asking for the recipe after everyone left.
First time making homemade pizza ever and this didn’t feel nearly as hard as I thought it would! The recipe says medium difficulty but as a total beginner I only messed up the dough stretching a little, it still tasted amazing. Way cheaper than ordering takeout too, my roommates are already asking when I’m making it again.
Wait, no mozzarella? I almost skipped this recipe when I saw the ingredient list didn’t have regular pizza cheese, but I trusted the process and holy cow. The pecorino and a little sprinkle of parm is all you need! It doesn’t get greasy and overpower the clam flavor at all. My kids loved it, even the one who picks cheese off of every other food. Wild.
My nonna used to make a version of this when I was a kid growing up on Long Island, and I haven’t had it that good since she passed. This recipe is dead on — the touch of dried oregano, the thin crust, the raw garlic that gets just mellow enough in the hot oven? It brought back so many memories. Thank you for sharing this, I’ll be passing this down to my own grandkids now.
Added an extra teaspoon of red pepper flakes and a drizzle of hot honey at the end and oh my GOD. Game changer. The sweet heat pairs so perfectly with the briny clams and salty cheese. If you’re a spice wimp start with a quarter teaspoon, but if you love heat go for the extra flakes, you won’t regret it.
Help! I followed the dough recipe exactly but it kept shrinking back when I tried to stretch it, I ended up with a super lumpy thick crust. It still tasted good but I want that thin, crispy restaurant style crust next time. Any tips?