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PIZZA

Hartford-Style Clam Pizza

A Connecticut white clam pie on a thin, blistered crust: olive oil, paper-thin garlic, oregano, pecorino, and raw littlenecks that cook on the pie. No tomato. "Clams on a pizza, what are clams anyway" -- Arnold, Arnold's Pizza Shop.

OriginConnecticut white clam pie, Kamado
Active30 min
Total75 min
EquipmentKamado Joe, pizza stone, peel, clam knife
Startup
35 min–45 min
Bake
6-8min
Rotate once at 4 min
Pie
12in
Thin -- you should see the peel through the middle
Oven fallback
550°F
Steel on the top rack, 1 hr preheat, broiler for the last minute
1 · SHUCK 2 · STRETCH 3 · TOP 4 · BAKE
Pizza · 600–650°F · tier 3
 5 · FINISH
18-24 littleneck clams, scrubbed 15 min in the freezer, then shucked raw over a bowl. Keep every drop of liquor.1 Spaced out so every slice gets 3-42 Go from raw to just-set on the stone. Pull when the edges have barely curled.
1 ball (~250 g) thin-crust pizza dough, room temp 1 hr Stretched to 12-13 in, thin enough to see the peel through the middle, thin rim.
for dusting semolina, for the peel Dusted on the peel first. Shake the peel before topping to be sure it slides.
3 tbsp ≈ 44 mL olive oil, plus more for the rim Holds the garlic and oregano. The garlic oil spread edge to edge with the back of a spoon3
3 cloves garlic, sliced paper thin Sliced thin and dropped into the olive oil with the oregano.4
1 tsp ≈ 5 mL dried oregano Into the oil with the garlic.
1/2 cup ≈ 118 mL pecorino romano, grated, divided Two thirds scattered over the oil, before the clams. Remaining third over the hot pie.
optional, 1/3 cup ≈ 79 mL low-moisture mozzarella, shredded If using: a light hand, over the pecorino, under the clams.5
pinch red pepper flakes Over the clams.
to taste black pepper, coarse A few grinds, out of the grill.
2 tbsp ≈ 30 mL flat-leaf parsley, chopped Scattered over. Cut into 6.
1 lemon, in wedges At the table, a squeeze per slice.
  1. littleneck clams, scrubbed · SHUCK Halve any clam bigger than a quarter.
  2. littleneck clams, scrubbed · TOP Plus 1 tbsp of the liquor spooned over the pie.
  3. olive oil, plus more for the rim · TOP Rim brushed with plain oil.
  4. garlic, sliced paper thin · SHUCK Soak while you work.
  5. low-moisture mozzarella, shredded · TOP Arnold says leave it off.
Protein
Produce
Dairy & Egg
Pantry & Grain
Spice & Seasoning
Liquid & Fat

Notes

What are clams anyway. Arnold's question is the whole recipe. There is no tomato and (properly) no mozzarella, so the clams and their liquor are the sauce -- shuck them raw over a bowl, keep every drop, and spoon a tablespoon of it over the pie with the garlic oil.
Raw on the pie, not steamed first. Littlenecks go from cold to just-set in the 6-8 min on the stone; a clam steamed open beforehand is rubber by the time the crust is done. Fifteen minutes in the freezer relaxes them enough to open with a clam knife.
Mozzarella is optional, and Arnold says it's wrong. The New Haven pie is oil, garlic, oregano, pecorino, clams -- that's it. A light hand of low-moisture mozz makes it friendlier to people who think they don't like clam pizza; leave it off for anyone from the Wooster Street end of the state.
Stone on with the cold grill. The stone has to be at dome temp or the bottom comes out pale under a browned top. Top rack, deflector in, before the fire is lit, and give it the full 35-45 min climb to 600-650°F.
Garlic paper-thin, under the oil. Thick garlic burns at 600°F. Sliced thin and soaked in the oil first, it's coated when it hits the heat and softens into the crust instead of charring on top.
Space the clams; don't pile them. Three or four per slice is plenty. Clumped together they pool liquid and the middle of a thin crust goes soggy -- with no cheese blanket to hold it together, the middle is the first thing to fail.
Oven fallback. Steel or stone on the top rack, oven at its max (550°F), a full hour of preheat. Launch, bake 6-7 min, then the broiler for the last 60 sec to blister the rim the way the Kamado dome would.
Original House version of the New Haven white clam pie, by way of Hartford. The quote is Arnold's, from Arnold's Pizza Shop, and it is the whole philosophy of the pie.