White Clam Pizza from Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria in New Haven has been called the best thing to eat in Connecticut, and I’m not going to argue. The crust is thin and charred, and the topping is nothing more than chopped clams, plenty of garlic, olive oil, and sharp grated Pecorino Romano. It’s called a white pizza because there’s no tomato sauce, and it skips the mozzarella, too. This is my version for a home oven.
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For years before I ever went to Frank Pepe’s, my husband (then boyfriend) kept telling me it was the best pizza in the world. Being a California food snob, I didn’t really believe him. New Haven, what?
The first time we went to Pepe’s, it was winter. It was snowing. It was really, really cold for this Bay Area girl. When I saw the line snaking down the snowy sidewalk, I turned to my husband and said, “This better be good if you’re making me wait outside in the freezing cold for it.” The woman in front of us turned around and said, “Oh, it is, honey. It is.”
One bite and I knew both she and my husband were not wrong. Turns out, Pepe’s pizza is one of the few foods I’d wait outside in the snow for. It was also the first place I ever had pizza with clams, and in my opinion it’s still the best clam pizza you’ll find anywhere.
As far as I know, Pepe’s has never published its recipe, so this is my interpretation. I can’t recreate a coal-fired oven that’s been running for nearly a century, but a home oven cranked as high as it goes and a preheated pizza stone get you a crisp, browned crust. The topping tastes the way I remember it from that first snowy night.
Ingredient Notes
The ingredient list is short, so each item matters. The clams and the cheese are where you have real choices to make.
Clams: Pepe’s uses freshly shucked littleneck clams, and if you can get them and don’t mind shucking, they make the best version. Frozen clam meat from the seafood counter is the next best option and skips the shucking entirely. Canned chopped clams work in a pinch, but they definitely lose something flavorwise through the canning process.
Pecorino Romano: Pepe’s tops its white clam pie with Pecorino Romano and nothing else. I like to use half Pecorino Romano and half Parmigiano Reggiano, because the nutty Parmesan rounds out the Pecorino’s sharp saltiness. Use all Pecorino if you want to stay true to Pepe’s.
Bacon: The classic Pepe’s white clam pie has no bacon. You can order it with bacon, though, and plenty of people do, and it seems like nearly everyone who recreates this pizza outside New Haven adds it. I like the pizza both ways, since smoky bacon and briny clams make a good pair, so I’ve made it optional here.
Pizza dough: Pepe’s hasn’t shared how it makes its crust either. Homemade dough works, and so does good store-bought dough, ideally from a pizzeria that makes thin-crust pies. A pound of dough makes two 12-inch pizzas.
Garlic and oregano: Use fresh garlic and fresh oregano. Garlic carries the topping along with the clams, so jarred minced garlic won’t do it justice.
How To Make White Clam Pizza
Start by getting your oven as hot as it will go, which is 500ºF for most home ovens. If you have a pizza stone, give it a full hour to preheat, because a hot stone is what gives you a crisp, browned bottom crust. While the oven heats, chop the clams and stir them together with the garlic and olive oil so the oil picks up the garlic’s flavor.
Stretch the dough as thin as you can without tearing it. A New Haven style crust is thin, with an edge that puffs and chars in the oven. Spoon the clam mixture over the dough, oil and all, then scatter the cheese, oregano, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and bacon, if you’re using it, over the top.
Bake until the crust is deeply browned with a few charred spots, usually 8 to 10 minutes. If your oven tops out below 500ºF, it will take a few minutes longer. Serve it right away, while the crust is still crisp.
What To Serve With It
Pepe’s keeps its sides simple: a garden salad with Kalamata olives and balsamic vinaigrette, or a Caesar salad, both topped with grated Pecorino Romano. That’s the right instinct, because a rich, garlicky pizza needs something crisp and sharp next to it. My Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Maple Vinaigrette brings crunch and a little sweetness to balance the briny clams, and my Superfood Kale Salad with Miso Dressing is sturdy enough to hold up next to a hot slice. After a meal at Pepe’s, cannoli from Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop down the block is a required stop, and one of these days I’ll try to recreate them, too.
If you’re turning this into a pizza night, my guide to homemade pizza and my outdoor pizza oven guide are good next reads. For more Italian baking, try this Pizza Giana Rustica or a classic Cheese Pizza.
White Clam Pizza
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough enough for 2 12-inch pizzas
- About 30 littleneck clams 1/2 pound frozen clam meat, or 3 (6 1/2-ounce) chopped clams, drained
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 ounces freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese or use 1 1/2 ounces each of Pecorino Romano and Parmesan
- 4 strips bacon cooked until brown and crisp and then crumbled
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF, or as high as it goes. If you’re using a pizza stone, put it in the oven to preheat for about 1 hour.
- If using fresh clams, shuck and chop them.
- In a bowl, stir together the clams, garlic, and olive oil. Let stand while you prepare the crust.
- If using both cheeses, combine them in a small bowl.
- Stretch the dough into two thin 12-inch rounds.
- Spoon half of the clam mixture over each crust. Sprinkle each with half of the cheese, oregano, and crushed red pepper, and add half of the bacon, if using. Grind black pepper over the top.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is deeply browned and charred in spots. If your oven doesn’t reach 500ºF, bake a few minutes longer.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
I lived in Connecticut for 24 years, Pepe’s by far is the best pizza in the world. By the way they do put bacon on the clam pie if you request it I’ve had it more times than I can count.
I had a very similar story I moved to Florida brought my wife or future wife to Frank Pepe‘s she also had to stand in line I told her it would be well worth it. You just go across the street have a drink come back let her go across the street have a drink come back. My wife has said there is nothing like Pepe’s. There are two other places in New Haven Sally’s and modern I would list them Pepe’s number one then Sally’s and finally modern.
Every time we’re there, my husband says “we really should go to Sally’s and Modern, too.” But… we usually only have a limited number of meals to eat while where there so we have to choose one and it just feels too risky to choose one of those over Pepe’s!
We always have bacon on our Pepes white clam pie. It’s a regular thing here. Same at Sally’s apizza.