Gordon Ramsay's Favorite Pizza Is Also A Connecticut Staple

Strong opinions are a big part of Gordon Ramsay's brand, so it's not surprising that the "Hell's Kitchen" and "Masterchef" presenter has some characteristically unapologetic pizza preferences, one of which was a predilection many New Englanders share. When it comes to toppings, Ramsay adores his pizza dressed with clams, a winning combination so distinctively delicious it has long been a Connecticut staple.

In a Facebook video, Ramsay quizzed his fellow "Next Level Chef" judges on their thoughts about what makes a good pie. Chef and restaurateur Nyesha Arrington named a lightly sauced jalapeño and pepperoni with well-done cheese as her favorite, while the James Beard Award-nominated cookbook author and chef Richard Blais opted for pepperoni, hot honey, ranch dressing, and the perennially divisive addition of pineapple, which Ramsay has bullishly maintained does not belong on a pizza. Voicing his own opinions, Ramsay said he loved "a great pizza with clams ... with a little bit of chili."

This isn't the first time that the marriage of cheese, dough, and bivalve mollusk has won Ramsay's approval. Arguably the best-known example of this combination is a clam apizza or white clam pizza, a dish beloved in the prime clam-harvesting state of Connecticut that typically also features garlic, herbs, olive oil, and hard Italian cheese like pecorino Romano, but no tomato sauce. A version of this rustic classic prepared by "Masterchef" contestant Anna Rossi during the show's third season was so successful that it won the unanimous approval of Ramsay and his fellow judges and helped propel Rossi to the position of finalist.

Clams have been part of Connecticut history since before the United States even existed — Native American inhabitants of what would later become the Constitution State would harvest these briny delights along with other shellfish, and early colonists would quickly take up the practice. Clams are so embedded in the culinary culture of Connecticut that it was inevitable someone would put them on a pizza, despite the widespread (but not always accurate) perception that Italians eschew the combination of cheese and seafood.

The white clam pizza was invented in the 1960s at the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut — a city now sometimes known as the pizza capital of America — where owner Frank Pepe was already serving raw littleneck clams as an appetizer. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Italian immigration to the U.S. exploded, and New Haven soon found itself the largest Italian colony in the state, with many coming from Southern Italy and bringing with them the tradition of thin, quickly cooked Neapolitan-style pizza. This style would evolve in New Haven into a more substantial pie that could support heavier toppings, and it was this style of pizza that Pepe would dress with freshly-shucked clams, oregano, olive oil, garlic, and pecorino. The result has been a success ever since, with some contending it is the best pizza in America. 

If you can't make it to New Haven, you may still be able to get a white clam pizza at one of the 17 Frank Pepe locations throughout the U.S., but if you're out of luck, your next best bet is to try making one yourself. If so, remember that littleneck clams are the best type for use on a New Haven-style pizza.