New England Clam Chowda Pizza
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
1 hr
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Cook Time
1 hr
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Total Time
2 hrs
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Servings
6
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Calories
395 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
New England Clam Chowda Pizza
Description
New England Clam Chowda Pizza features a seafood béchamel sauce made by thickening seafood stock with butter, flour, and cream, and seasoning it with vermouth and celery leaves. Fresh middleneck clams are soaked and steamed with thyme, red onion, and garlic until they open, then shelled and chopped if large. The pizza dough is topped with thinly sliced red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, red onions, crispy cooked bacon, and the seafood béchamel before baking on a preheated pizza stone at high temperature.
The result is a creamy, aromatic pizza balancing the clam flavors with savory bacon and the textural contrast of tender vegetables and crisp crust. The steaming process extracts clam juices to enrich the sauce while the vegetables add earthiness. Olive oil and fresh thyme distributed on the dough lend additional layers of flavor and aroma.
Finished pizzas can be garnished with celery leaves and optionally hot sauce for heat. This dish serves as an inventive way to enjoy classic clam chowder ingredients on a sturdy, crisp crust, suitable for sharing and pairing with a simple green salad or white wine.
Ingredients
for seafood béchamel
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 heaping tablespoon flour
- ⅛ 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 celery leaves chopped
for clams
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 6 cups water divided
- 24 clams middleneck
- 3-4 thyme sprigs, fresh
- ½ red onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
for pizza
- 1 pound pizza dough I used the dough found chilled in the bakery department, store-bought
- 3 small red skinned potatoes very thinly sliced
- 5 Brussels sprouts very thinly sliced
- ½ red onion very thinly sliced crosswise
- ¼ pound Bacon chopped, crispy, cooked
- béchamel sauce recipe above, seafood
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons thyme divided, fresh
- all-purpose flour for rolling out dough
- corn meal for the pizza stone
garnishes
- celery leaves
- hot sauce optional
special equipment
- pizza stone
Instructions
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 Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 395 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 395kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 50g | 17% |
| Protein | 11g | 22% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 33mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 5492mg | 229% |
| Potassium | 321mg | 7% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 11g | 22% |
| Vitamin A | 1300IU | 26% |
| Vitamin C | 30mg | 33% |
| Calcium | 39mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1.1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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