I have heard that there are people who don't like pizza. I don't remember ever meeting one.
I love pepperoni, BBQ chicken, and artichoke bacon pizzas.I had heard of the white clam pizza made famous by Pepe's in New Haven, Connecticut. Last week I find a copycat recipe online and gave it a try. The chickens ate well that night my friend. We did not. The pizza was horrible.
Not willing to give up, I signed up for a free online pizza class at Craftsy. The class, taught by master bread baker Peter Reinhart, was awesome. In the class you learn how to make four different pizza crusts and several different pizzas. I really enjoyed the class and couldn't wait to try out what I had just learned.
I knew I had to try to the white clam pizza again. I chose the American style Neopolitan crust and made my own recipe for the clam sauce, which was actually more of a topping.
The pizza was delicious. Michael said I nailed the crust!
You really must take the free class at Craftsy because the dough technique is worth the time spent. Remember the class is FREE! I have no affiliation with Craftsy nor have I been compensated, I am just sharing.
I used whole clams, olive oil, garlic, shallots, and butter for the sauce. I topped the pizza with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, crushed red pepper, and clams in the shells! I garnished with a little fresh parsley when the pizza came out of the oven.
The pizza dough recipe makes enough for four crusts and can be refrigerated for three days or frozen for three months. I am excited to see what other pizzas I can make with this beautiful dough.
I loved that the pizza slices held their shape and didn't fold under when lifted.
And just look at all those air pockets in the crust.
Here is the recipe for the clam sauce. You can find the recipe for the dough at Craftsy.com!
White Clam Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 12" pizza crust
- 1 pound of fresh or frozen clams cooked
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large shallots finely diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chile paste
- 1 cup grated whole milk mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare crust for pizza and shape into a 12 inch circle.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees with a pizza stone in place if you have one. If not, you can use a pizza pan.
- Rinse the clams and drain on paper towels. Remove the meat from the clams but reserve eight in the shell to top the pizza. You can put all the clams in the sauce if you prefer not to have shells on top. But, you'll be missing the delicious melted cheese you pull off the hot shells. Chop the clams in quarters. Melt the butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and chile paste and cook an additional minute. Add the chopped clams. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Spread the clam topping on the pizza and spread evenly to one inch of the edge of the crust. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly on top and add the clams in shells to the top of the pizza. Sprinkle the Parmesan and crushed red pepper over the top.
- Bake the pizza on the hot pizza stone or on a pizza pan for 12 minutes or until the crust is light brown on the bottom and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown in places. Remove from the oven, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.