New England Clam Chowda Pizza

Clam chowda pizza with bacon, potatoes and celery.

Most people grill burgers,  make a pot of chili or order up piles of chicken wings for their Super Bowl Party.  Not us.   Our annual Super Bowl celebrations pay tribute to the regions of the country where the two competing teams are from.  If it’s Baltimore — crab cakes.  Philadelphia — cheese steaks.  Get it?   There are some teams I root for year after year, because their hometowns are such food meccas.  Others, well, not so much.  

seafood béchamel and celery leaves.

When the playoffs begin, we bracket the teams and their regional specialties.  As we get closer to the final two, the menu begins to take shape.   Now, we’ve got nothing against Indianapolis or Green Bay — but let’s just say, we’re very happy with Sunday’s roster!  New England vs. Seattle!  

seafood béchamel in a bowl with spoon

You think New England — you think clam chowder chow-da, right?  So, I was happily going down the soup path when Scott called an audible.  (That’s football-speak for changing the play).  He wanted pizza.  Hmmm.  That could be interesting.

clams in a colander.

That’s how we arrived at this homage to the Patriots.  It has all the elements of a regular chowder, even the creamy bisque, reconstructed as pizza toppings.  You might think, “potatoes on pizza???”  It works!  “Clams?”  You bet!  “Bacon?”  Well, duh.

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steamed clams

We made a test batch last Friday night and we discovered a few things.  First, the celery leaves as a garnish are absolutely essential.   They are bright and fresh — the ideal herbal note.

clam chowda pizza toppings.

And something not so expected… hot sauce.  I know, I know.  It sounds more like buffalo pizza — but seriously — we added a few dashes and WOW!  Phenomenal!  So you can go traditional on this pie — and it will be good or you can add a few shakes of hot sauce for a spicy, tangy flavor-bomb!    I think you know how I’m leaning. 

pizza dough

Paper-thin slices of potato, onion and brussel sprouts are also key so that they cook in the same time as the pizza – which only takes 7-8 minutes in a 500 degree oven.    I used a mandoline and it made very quick work of the process, but if you don’t have one, sharpen your knife and get slicing.

building pizza on a pizza stone.

 Let’s talk about the clams — I used fresh middle necks found at my fishmonger (shout out to Pop’s) though little necks would work well too.  They steamed with some aromatics and the shells popped right open.  I may have snuck one or two from the pan for quality control purposes.

Slicing the clam chowder pizza with a pizza wheel.

Depending on how large your clams are, you can chop them, or not.  We made four 10-inch pizzas and initially, I chopped the clams, but toward the end we were  putting whole clams on the pie and devouring the delicious results.

Fresh clams baked on the clam chowder pizza.

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New England Clam Chowda Pizza
Print Pin
5 from 6 votes

New England Clam Chowda Pizza

A twist on two classics  – this pizza has fresh clams, a clam bechamel, thinly sliced potatoes and crispy lardons!  Can be cooked in the oven or over the grill!  Top with fresh celery leaves!
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon, clams, pizza
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

for seafood béchamel

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 heaping tablespoon flour
  • teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2-3 grinds black pepper
  • ¾ cup seafood stock or clam juice
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vermouth
  • 1 tablespoon chopped celery leaves

for clams

  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • 6 cups water divided
  • 24 middleneck clams
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ red onion sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

for pizza

  • 1 pound store-bought pizza dough I used the dough found chilled in the bakery department
  • 3 small red skinned potatoes very thinly sliced
  • 5 brussel sprouts very thinly sliced
  • ½ red onion very thinly sliced crosswise
  • ¼ pound crispy cooked bacon chopped
  • seafood béchamel recipe above
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme divided
  • flour for rolling out dough
  • corn meal for the pizza stone

garnishes

  • celery leaves
  • hot sauce optional

special equipment

  • pizza stone

DIRECTIONS:

Make the béchamel

  • In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Sprinkle in the flour, salt and pepper stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly, about a minute. Gradually add the stock, stirring constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in the whipping cream and remove from heat. Add the vermouth and celery leaves and stir until combined. Set aside. (Can be made a day ahead).
  • Place the pizza stone in the oven. Turn the oven on to 500 degrees.

For the clams

  • Soak the clams in 5 cups cool water with kosher salt. (Note: do not use iodized salt as it will kill the clams). Let soak for 10 minutes. Scrub the clams clean of any dirt or grit and set aside.
  • Layer the sliced onion, thyme and garlic in a medium skillet. Add remaining cup of water and cover. Heat to boiling. Add the clams to the pan and cover tightly. Steam the clams for 3-4 minutes until they begin to open up. Remove the clams from their shells. Chop clams if they are on the large side. Transfer clams to a bowl.

To assemble the pizza

  • Prep all of the toppings before you start to roll out the dough and place them by the stove. Clear the cooktop area on your stove.
  • Dust a work surface with flour. Divide the dough into fourths. Place 1/4 of the dough on the flour and sprinkle the top with a little extra to prevent it from sticking. Work the dough with your fingers to flatten it out. If you know how to twirl pizza dough, knock yourself out! If you don’t (I don’t) use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about 1/4″ thick.
  • With oven mitts, carefully transfer the pizza stone to the cooktop. Be careful – it’s hot!
  • Sprinkle cornmeal on the pizza stone.
  • Lift the edges of the pizza dough and transfer the dough to the pizza stone. Working quickly, sprinkle a 1 teaspoon olive oil over the dough.
  • Top the pizza with 1/4 each of potato slices, brussel sprouts, béchamel, onion, thyme, bacon and chopped clams. Don’t overdress the pizza– or it will be goopy.
  • Return the pizza stone to the oven and cook for 7-8 minutes until crust is browned and crisp and toppings are bubbling. Use a pizza peel or stainless steel spatula to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Let cool for 1-2 minutes before slicing. Serve. Repeat the process for the remaining pizzas.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 5492mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1300IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.1mg

More Game Day Snacking:

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A twist on clam chowder, New England Clam Chowda Pizza has all the goodness of the classic chowder on a piping hot crust! Fresh clams, bacon and potatoes add authentic flavor. #pizzarecipe #newenglandclamchowder #clamchowderpizza #chowder #seafoodpizza #clampizza #bacon #potatoes #homemadepizza #whitepizza #potatoes #celeryleaves #redonions #seafood #shellfish #littleneckclams #middleneckclams #seafoodbechamel #seafoodsauce

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6 Comments

  1. I’ve never had New England clam chowder, but heard of it. By the looks of this pizza, I’m thinking I would love it! What a great idea and perfect for the upcoming weekend with a glass of vino 🙂

    1. It’s got a nice balance — and the clams remain tender.

  2. Jacque Hastert says:

    5 stars
    This is my absolute favorite soup. I bet after making this it would become my favorite pizza 🙂