Having lived in Connecticut for over four years, I became very familiar with the fanfare surrounding New Haven pizza… specifically the White Clam Pizza made famous by Frank Pepe’s. (Consistently ranked the #1 pizza in the country by Daily Meal.)
But for some reason, I’ve never attempted making it on my own… Until today! I’m so excited to be partnering with California Olive Ranch on this project for a number of reasons. For starters, I was a fan of their product already, as it was already my preferred brand of olive oil. Having also lived in California for 10 years, I’m very aware of the high quality of agriculture and care that goes into products produced in that region of the country. And finally, while my followers know how much I love pizza, I’m excited to create a dish that puts the focus on the olive oil.
This pizza has no tomato products. The only “sauce” is high quality olive oil. The only cheese is grated Pecorino-Romano, and the only seasoning is fresh garlic a little bit of crushed oregano. This pizza, more than most, relies on the quality of simple ingredients to really shine through.
Normally, you would use freshly shucked Littleneck Clams for this pizza. And if you were super ambitious and prepared… you would also make your own pizza dough. But in the spirit of “use what you have”… I used some canned clams and a package of store-bought pizza dough I had sitting in the freezer. And I’ve got to say… it turned out AWESOME!
I cooked mine on a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven, but you can also invert a sheet pan. Just make sure you pre-heat it for at least 30 minutes before transferring your prepared dough to the oven.
My followers know how much I love pizza, so that smile on my face is 100% genuine! Do you like clam pizza? Let me know if you end up making this… I hope you love it as much as I did!
Make the white clam pizza made famous by Frank Pepe's in New Haven. Place a pizza stone or inverted sheet pan in the oven on the middle rack. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees and allow pizza stone or sheet pan to heat for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, take thawed pizza dough from fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Dust a pizza peel or cutting board with cornmeal or semolina flour. Stretch and shape dough until about 1/3" to 1/2" thick and round/oval shaped. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Next, sprinkle oregano evenly over the dough, followed by minced garlic and clams. Finally, drizzle olive oil over the pizza until the surface is lightly covered. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the prepared dough to the pizza stone. Cook 8-10 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer back to pizza peel and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with fresh parsley (if using) and serve!New Haven-style White Clam Pizza
(13 votes, average: 3.85 out of 5)
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