A New Haven institution, this coal-fired-style white pizza skips the tomato sauce entirely, topped instead with briny fresh clams, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and a dusting of grated Pecorino Romano over a thin, chewy, charred crust.
Classic New Haven Clam Pizza (White Clam Apizza)
No sauce, no mozzarella — just garlic, olive oil, fresh clams, and a charred crust. This New Haven classic is coastal Connecticut's most iconic pizza.
Ingredients
- 500 g bread flour
- 500 ml warm water
- 1 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 36 fresh littleneck clams, shucked, juices reserved
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano
- 0.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 100 g grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 0.5 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons semolina or cornmeal, for dusting
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 teaspoons active dry yeast in the 325 milliliters warm water and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. Add the 500 grams bread flour and 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, then mix in 2 tbsp of the 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided. Knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- First rise: Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
- Divide and rest: Punch down the dough and divide into 2 equal balls for two thin-crust pizzas. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven: Place a pizza stone or steel on the top rack and preheat the oven as high as it will go (500-550°F / 260-290°C) for at least 45 minutes to mimic a coal-fired oven.
- Prepare the clam topping: While the oven heats, toss the shucked 36 fresh littleneck clams, shucked, juices reserved with the sliced 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 1 tablespoons dried oregano, 0.5 teaspoons red pepper flakes, and 1 tbsp of the reserved clam juice. Set aside.
- Shape the crust: On a floured surface, stretch one dough ball into a thin, roughly 12-inch oval or round, keeping the edges slightly thicker than the center. Dust a pizza peel with 3 tablespoons semolina or cornmeal, for dusting and transfer the dough onto it.
- Dress the pizza: Brush the dough with 1 tbsp of the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided. Scatter half of the clam and garlic mixture evenly over the top, followed by half of the 100 grams grated Pecorino Romano cheese and a pinch of 0.5 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground.
- Bake: Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake until the crust is deeply charred in spots and the edges are crisp, watching closely since ovens run hot.
- Repeat and finish: Repeat shaping, dressing, and baking with the second dough ball and remaining toppings. Remove each pizza from the oven, immediately drizzle with any remaining olive oil, and scatter with 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped.
- Serve: Slice into wedges and serve immediately with 1 lemon, cut into wedges for squeezing over the top.
Notes
Authenticity tip: New Haven apizza gets its signature char from coal-fired ovens exceeding 800°F. A home oven won’t replicate that fully, but a pizza stone or steel preheated for a full hour gets you close. If fresh clams aren’t available, canned whole baby clams (drained, juice reserved) work in a pinch, though the texture won’t be quite the same. Some New Haven spots also add a light grating of mozzarella — feel free to add a light handful with the Pecorino if you want a slightly richer pie, though purists keep it cheese-light.