Description
Looking for a unique and flavorful pizza recipe? This White Clam Pizza features a garlic Parmesan white sauce base, topped with a combination of mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, salty clams, and pancetta. Once baked, it's finished with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest, creating a fresh and savory flavor that's sure to impress seafood lovers on pizza night!
Ingredients
Scale
White sauce:
- 28 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder*
- 11 g (1 1/2 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 80 g (2/3 cup) whole milk
- 2 oz (2/3 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
For the rest of the White Clam Pizza:
- 1/2 recipe Easy Same Day Pizza Dough (or 1 ball of dough)
- 4 oz (1 cup) mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 oz (1/3 cup) Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated
- 2 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams, drained
- 4 oz pancetta, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly shaved*
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2-3 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (I used dill, chives, and Italian parsley)
- Zest of 1 lemon, grated or finely peeled
- Optional: Flaky sea salt to top
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit / 260 degrees Celcius and set a baker's half sheet to the side.
- Cook the pancetta: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the pancetta until lightly brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Make the white sauce:
- In a small saucepan (or you can reuse the skillet you cooked the pancetta in) over medium-low heat melt the butter. When the butter has fully melted, add the garlic powder and flour and whisk to combine fully.
- Once the mixture has started to simmer and become frothy, add the milk slowly, whisking to combine. The mixture will look chunky at first but will smooth as you whisk.
- Add the parmesan cheese and continue to whisk until combined fully, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The sauce should have thickened considerably at this point and be fairly smooth. If your sauce is too thick, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking to combine.
- Remove from heat and reserve to the side until ready to assemble the pizza.
- Roll or hand-stretch your pizza dough: If you prefer a classic pie shape with a thicker crust compared to the center of your dough, I suggest hand-stretching your dough. If you prefer your pizza to be an even thickness, I suggest rolling your dough out with a rolling pin.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- I like to rub a small amount of olive oil into my hands first; this allows me to shape the dough easier without it ripping accidentally from friction.
- Press the dough down with the palm of your hand into a disk shape, then use your fingertips to gently press down on the dough disk, further flattening it.
- To further extend the dough, I prefer to press one palm on top of one side of the dough and with the other hand lift the alternative side of the dough and gently work the dough outward, pulling very gently with the tips of my oiled fingers (like a very discrete “come hither” motion) to slowly stretch the dough out. Rotate slightly and repeat until the dough is shaped and stretched to your liking. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again. Transfer your stretched dough to a sheet of parchment paper and then to the reserved baker's half sheet.
- If you are using a rolling pin:
- I prefer to place my dough between two sheets of parchment paper to avoid the dough sticking to my rolling pin, but if you prefer you can also sprinkle a bit of flour over the dough ball as well as wiping some over your rolling pin by hand to prevent sticking instead. Once the dough has been rolled to your preferred size and shape, peel the top layer of parchment paper off (if using). The bottom layer that the dough is resting on can be utilized for your baking sheet. If you find that the dough starts to snap back or is beginning to tear, allow the dough to relax for a minute or two before proceeding again.
- Transfer your shaped dough (and bottom sheet of parchment paper) to the reserved baking sheet.
- If you are hand-stretching your dough:
- Assemble the pizza: Pour the white sauce over the top of the pizza dough. Using the back of a spoon, spread the sauce out evenly over the dough. Top the pizza with the shredded mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, sprinkling it evenly across the top. Then top with the drained clams, the reserved pancetta, and the shaved garlic slices. Sprinkle the top with red pepper flakes.
- Bake the pizza for 14-18 minutes or until the crust has reached your preferred level of crispness and the cheese is beginning to brown and blister. I find that pizzas that have a thinner topping layer take less time to bake and heavier-topped pizzas generally take a bit longer to bake so watch your pizza closely after the 14-minute mark and adjust as desired.
- Top the pizza with chopped herbs, lemon zest, and optional flaky sea salt. Serve with wedges of lemon on the side for people to squeeze over the top if desired.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
*If you have a garlic intolerance but can consume garlic-infused olive oil, you can substitute the garlic powder and olive oil for garlic-infused olive oil and omit the garlic shavings altogether.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 647
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 1207 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 79 mg