The Chef Secret To Making The Ultimate Clam Pizza

While it may be impossible to get your fill of pizza night, who hasn't fallen into a toppings rut before? To that end, we spoke with Jamie Bissonnette, an award-winning chef in the Boston area, for his expert tips on adding a little bit of brininess to your tomato pie. Chef Bissonnette has collaborated with the team at Trattoria One Fifth to offer diners "The Gilda," a pizza featuring pickled guindilla peppers, Cantabrian anchovies, Idiazabal cheese, and scallion oil among other delicious ingredients. Considering Bissonnette's famed Pizza of the Month features a fishy flair, we thought he was the perfect chef to consult about trying out clams for pizza night.

When it comes to adding clams to your pizza, Chef Bissonnette recommends you "shuck the clams, chop them up, and leave them in their juice. [Then] add to the pizza when it's going into the oven, whether wood or coal-fired." However, if you are cooking with a home oven — which may not get hot enough to cook everything at the same time — Chef Bissonnette advises, "bake [the] pizza 85%, then add the clams and flip on the broiler to cook them and help evaporate the moisture." Moreover, the chef explains that when added to a 500-degree Fahrenheit oven, "clams tend to sog out the dough." We are big fans of par-baking pizza dough, especially when using more inventive ingredients, as this ensures a crispy crust without a soggy bottom.

Those who shirk at the convenience of pizza delivery and brave the perils of pie-making at home may be tempted to stick to the classic styles such as supreme, cheese, or veggie. Rarely do at-home pizza makers venture down the seafood aisle for their toppings — and we understand; milk and fish have a bad reputation. However, if you think about it, dairy and clams are actually a classic combination, and just not when it comes to pizza. Anyone who enjoys a creamy New England clam chowder or a vibrant, chunky clam dip knows that the mildly sweet and briny flavor of clams pairs perfectly with the creamy, salty characteristics of cheese.

Even though some Westerners might find fish on pizza creates a fishy flavor, shellfish on pizza is as authentically Italian as, well, pizza itself. "Pizza ai frutti di mare," or pizza featuring the "fruit of the sea," is a common pie order in coastal Italian villages. Of course, authentic pizza ai frutti di mare doesn't typically include any cheese, just dough, tomato sauce, and whatever seafood is available. (Though, in America, the dish has since evolved to include cheese as well.) In the 1920s, New Haven-style pizza, featuring a time-tested combination of clams, garlicky cheese, and fermented dough, gained popularity and can still be found on menus today.