White Clam Pizza

two slices of clam pizza on a plate topped with lemon slice

5 from 3 votes

You'll love this appetizer pizza featuring canned clams, buttery onions, garlic and Pecorino Romano! It's perfect for holidays, parties or any Friday night!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian-American

Servings: slices

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

12 ounces pizza dough (at room temperature)
3 tablespoons salted butter
⅔ cup chopped sweet onion (about ¼ of a large sweet or yellow onion)
2 cloves garlic
13 ounces canned chopped clams (two 6.5-ounce cans)
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 medium basil leaves (fresh)
2 teaspoons lemon juice (squeeze on a bit of juice from half a lemon)
olive oil to drizzle on top (optional for serving)

Instructions

Prep the Crust (starting with prepared dough)

If you have a pizza stone, place an ungreased pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat your oven to 500 degrees F. If using a round, metal pizza pan, don't add it to the oven yet. Just lightly grease the pizza pan with cooking spray and let the oven heat up while you get the dough and toppings ready.
Shape the pizza dough to fit your pan or stone. It helps to grasp the dough by the edges, hold it up, and let it stretch out. Rotate the dough a bit and continue, pressing the dough with your fingers in the thick spots to thin it out as you hold it. If using a stone, you can shape the dough on a floured surface until it's time to transfer the dough onto the stone to bake.
When the oven reaches 500 degrees F, bake the dough on the pizza stone or in a pizza pan for 5 minutes before adding any toppings.

Make the topping

While the oven is heating, peel and chop ¼ of a large, sweet onion until you have ⅔ cup of chopped onion. Peel and chop the garlic. Drain the clams in a fine-mesh strainer in the sink. (If you see any green particles in the clams, remove and discard them.) Rinse the clams.
Heat the butter in a 12-inch skillet on the stove over medium heat. When the butter has melted, stir in the chopped onions. After about 3 minutes, stir in the garlic. When the onions are soft (it should take 2-3 more minutes), stir in the drained clams and turn off the heat.

Assemble & Bake

After the crust has baked for five minutes, top it with the clams mixture and spread it evenly with a fork. Sprinkle the Pecorino on top, then the red pepper flakes.
Bake the white clam pizza for 8-10 minutes on a stone or for 10-15 minutes on a metal pan, until the crust has browned to your liking.
Roll up the basil leaves into a cylinder and snip them into ribbons. Scatter the basil ribbons over the pizza. Squeeze on a little lemon juice. Slice the pizza and serve it with olive oil drizzled on top, if desired. You also can add extra Pecorino.
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes

Reheating:

I don't recommend reheating this in the microwave, because the clams will become rubbery, and the crust will be too soft.
The best way to reheat pizza is to place a few slices in an ungreased 10-inch or 12-inch frying pan. Cover the pan and place it over medium heat for six minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is heated and crispy.

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