New Haven White Clam Pizza

Imperial June 2, 2026June 2, 2026

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

Yield: 2 thin 12-inch pizzas, 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes active, plus dough resting
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 20 hours 57 minutes

Quick Ingredients

Dough: 300 g bread flour, 195 g cool water, 6 g fine sea salt, 1 g instant yeast, 6 g olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil for the container
Clams: 2 lb fresh littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed, plus 1/4 cup water for steaming
White clam topping: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano, and 2 teaspoons strained clam liquor
For launching: 2 tablespoons fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal

Do This

1. Mix flour, water, salt, yeast, and olive oil into a smooth dough; rest 30 minutes, then refrigerate 18 hours.
2. Divide into 2 dough balls and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
3. Preheat a pizza steel or stone at 550°F for 1 hour on the upper-middle rack.
4. Steam clams with 1/4 cup water for 3 to 5 minutes, chop the meat, and reserve 2 teaspoons strained clam liquor.
5. Stir olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, and red pepper flakes together for a quick garlic oil.
6. Stretch each dough ball to 12 inches, top with garlic oil, chopped clams, clam liquor, and Pecorino Romano.
7. Bake each pizza for 5 to 7 minutes at 550°F until thin, crisp, and charred in spots.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Classic New Haven flavor at home: Briny chopped clams, garlic, oregano, olive oil, and Pecorino Romano deliver the signature white clam pizza experience without tomato sauce.
Thin, crisp, and charred: A hot pizza steel or stone helps create the blistered, coal-oven-style crust home cooks love.
Simple topping, big payoff: The ingredient list is short, but every bite tastes savory, garlicky, salty, and deeply coastal.
Make-ahead friendly: The dough cold-ferments overnight, so most of the work is done before pizza night.

Grocery List

Seafood: 2 lb fresh littleneck or cherrystone clams
Produce: 6 garlic cloves
Dairy: 1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Pantry: Bread flour, instant yeast, fine sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, dried oregano, black pepper, red pepper flakes, fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal

Full Ingredients

For the Thin Pizza Dough

300 g bread flour or high-protein pizza flour, plus a little extra for handling
195 g cool water, about 65°F to 70°F
6 g fine sea salt
1 g instant yeast
6 g extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, for coating the container

For the Fresh Chopped Clams

2 lb fresh littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed well
1/4 cup water, for steaming the clams

For the White Clam Pizza Topping

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely minced, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed lightly between your fingers
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 45 g, divided
2 teaspoons strained reserved clam liquor, divided

For Shaping and Launching

2 tablespoons fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal
1 to 2 tablespoons bread flour, only as needed for your hands and work surface

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mix the dough

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 195 g cool water and 1 g instant yeast. Add 300 g bread flour, 6 g fine sea salt, and 6 g extra-virgin olive oil. Stir with a sturdy spoon or your hand until no dry flour remains and a shaggy dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a clean counter and knead for 6 to 8 minutes, until it feels smoother, slightly elastic, and no longer rough. It does not need to look perfectly smooth. Lightly coat a container with 1 teaspoon olive oil, place the dough inside, cover tightly, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Cold-ferment the dough

After the 30-minute room-temperature rest, transfer the covered dough container to the refrigerator for 18 hours. This slow rise develops flavor and helps the dough stretch thin without tearing, which is important for a New Haven-style crust.

Two hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide it into 2 equal pieces, about 250 g each. Shape each piece into a tight ball by tucking the edges underneath, then place the dough balls in lightly floured or lightly oiled containers. Cover and let them sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

Step 3: Heat the oven for a charred crust

Place a pizza steel or pizza stone on an upper-middle oven rack, about 6 inches from the broiler if possible. Preheat the oven to 550°F for 1 full hour before baking. A long preheat is key: the stone or steel needs to be blazing hot so the thin crust sets quickly and chars in spots.

If your oven only reaches 500°F, preheat at 500°F for 1 hour and plan to bake each pizza for 7 to 9 minutes instead of 5 to 7 minutes. The crust will still be delicious, though slightly less charred than a higher-heat bake.

Step 4: Prepare the fresh chopped clams

While the dough is finishing its room-temperature rest, place the scrubbed clams in a wide pot with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, just until the clams open. Transfer clams to a bowl as they open so they do not overcook. Discard any clams that remain closed after 5 minutes.

Pour the clam liquid from the pot through a fine-mesh strainer to remove grit. Reserve exactly 2 teaspoons of the strained clam liquor for the pizzas. Remove the clam meat from the shells and chop it into roughly 1/2-inch pieces. You should have about 1 cup chopped clams. If the clams seem very wet, gently pat them dry so they do not make the pizza soggy.

Step 5: Make the garlic-oregano oil

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 6 finely minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes so the garlic and oregano flavor the oil.

This pizza has no tomato sauce and no heavy cheese blanket, so the garlic oil acts as the flavorful base. Use it generously, but keep the layer thin so the crust stays crisp.

Step 6: Stretch the first pizza

Lightly dust a pizza peel with 1 tablespoon fine semolina flour or fine cornmeal. Place one dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Using your fingertips, press from the center outward, leaving a very small 1/2-inch rim. Gently stretch the dough into a thin 12-inch round or slightly irregular oval.

Move the stretched dough to the prepared peel. Give the peel a small shake to make sure the dough slides freely. If any spot sticks, lift that edge carefully and dust a little more semolina or cornmeal underneath.

Step 7: Top the pizza

Spread half of the garlic-oregano oil over the dough, including the minced garlic, leaving the outer 1/2 inch mostly bare. Scatter half of the chopped clams evenly over the pizza. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the strained clam liquor, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup finely grated Pecorino Romano.

Keep the topping light and even. New Haven-style white clam pizza should taste briny and garlicky, with the crust still able to crisp and char instead of steaming under too much moisture.

Step 8: Bake until crisp and charred

Slide the pizza onto the preheated steel or stone. Bake at 550°F for 5 to 7 minutes, rotating once after 4 minutes, until the bottom is crisp, the rim is blistered, and the crust has deep brown to lightly blackened charred spots. If the top needs extra color, turn on the broiler for the final 30 to 60 seconds, watching closely.

Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and let it rest for 2 minutes before slicing. Repeat with the second dough ball, the remaining garlic oil, remaining clams, remaining 1 teaspoon clam liquor, and remaining 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano.

Pro Tips

Use the hottest setup you can: A pizza steel gives the strongest bottom heat, but a pizza stone also works. Preheating for the full 1 hour makes a major difference.
Do not overload the clams: About 1/2 cup chopped clams per 12-inch pizza is enough. Too many clams can release liquid and soften the crust.
Strain the clam liquor: Fresh clams can release sandy liquid. Straining keeps the flavor while removing grit.
Grate the Pecorino finely: A fine grate melts into salty little pockets without weighing down the pizza.
Expect an irregular shape: New Haven-style pizza often looks rustic, oval, and uneven around the edges. That is part of its charm.

Variations

Extra-garlic white clam pizza: Increase the garlic to 8 cloves and let it sit in the olive oil for 15 minutes before topping.
Spicy white clam pizza: Increase the red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon, or sprinkle an additional 1/8 teaspoon over each pizza after baking.
Lemon finish: After baking, add 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest per pizza for a brighter coastal flavor. This is not traditional, but it is very good.

Storage & Make-Ahead

White clam pizza is best eaten immediately, while the crust is crisp and the clams are tender. Store leftover slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat on a pizza stone or baking sheet at 475°F for 5 to 7 minutes, or in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until the bottom crisps again. Avoid microwaving if possible, because it makes the thin crust chewy.

For make-ahead dough, refrigerate the dough for up to 48 hours instead of 18 hours for even more flavor. You can also freeze the divided dough balls for up to 2 months. Thaw frozen dough in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours before stretching.

Nutrition (per serving)