If you have anything like an adventurous spirit for food, this little pizza inspired by Peter Reinhart's genius spin on New Haven "apizza" is an herby, peppery, savory, salty delight.

In a fit of pizza panic (which doesn’t happen a lot these days), we produced this pizza that--wow--blew off their socks.
 
We had this pizza yesterday, and will be having it again tomorrow.

​It's that good.

And you should try making this one yourself. As soon as possible, in fact. It requires a little more prep than most pizzas. It’s also a white pizza, which can create pushback among the red-sauce diehards. Ignore that. 
 
If you have anything even vaguely resembling an adventurous spirit for food, this is an herby, peppery, savory, salty delight.
 
And there’s bacon involved.
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You and I both know some folks who will have a little gag fest because this isn’t a pepperoni pizza. And as a foodie friend of mine inexplicably said at the mere suggestion of this pizza, “That’s disgusting!”
 
I replied, “What? It’s famous! How do you not know this?”
 
(I won points there, lemmetellya. I shoulda been in the diplomatic corps.)
 
The pizza of which we’re speaking is pizza guru Peter Reinhart’s spin on the world-famous New Haven White Clam Pie.
 
 
The white clam pie was first made popular by Frank Pepe’s Pizza Napoletana on New Haven’s Wooster Street.
 
It has been reported (perhaps it’s a myth) that Pepe’s has two guys on staff whose only job is to shuck clams.  
 
Right now, the Fabulous Honey Parker and I are on Cape Cod. When we skipped out to the local fish market, they had no fresh shucked clams. We didn’t have time or tools to shuck clams ourselves. So we opted for the market’s own chopped and frozen clams. Those little bivalves did not disappoint.
 
 
In this recipe, the clams are marinated in an herb oil blend that’s simple to make and satisfying. Peter’s recipe does not include bacon. But I figured he would embrace the addition thereof, as he also has a recipe for a Clams Casino pizza.
 
My panic around this pizza came when baking it in an unknown oven with an idiosyncratic and hard-to-use control panel.
 
It also took longer to bake than expected, in part because I was unable to figure out how to switch on the broiler.
 
And then there was what seemed like a slick of herby olive oil all over the pizza, which I assumed to be the product of serious operator error. (It wasn’t. Everything all worked out.)
 
High-quality clams. Crispy bacon. A peppery pop. Savory, herby burst. A touch of lemon juice zing. The crust baked to a brown, crispy crunch.
 
 
This pizza was a delight.
 
I have not asked permission to reproduce Peter’s recipe here, so I’m linking to it at Food.com. And remember that the bacon is my own addition. I’m also baking on steel, and I switch on the broiler as soon as I launch the pizza. 
 
At 14 inches, my pizza was slightly larger than Peter’s 12-inch pie. I bumped up the quantity of clams and herb oil slightly. (That was probably unnecessary.) I also par-cooked four strips of bacon and chopped them coarsely.

Whether you use Peter's original recipe or incorporate my minor mods, it's sure to make your pizza peeps very happy. 
 
This recipe was originally published in Peter’s book, American Pie: My Search For The Perfect Pizza. It’s the pizza book that inspired many of today’s working pros, and I’ve been referencing it regularly over 20 years. (That link above is an affiliate link to Amazon.)
 
Now that I’ve revisited Peter’s simply brilliant recipe, I’m wondering how else to use it. Who knows? There may be some other shellfish out there crying for the herb oil treatment…
 
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Ready to learn basic pizza? You'll find all the steps right inside my weird and award-winning pizzamaker’s manual, Free The Pizza: A Simple System For Making Great Pizza Whenever You Want With The Oven You Already Have. If you’re just beginning your pizza-making journey, it’s a good place to start because it doesn’t force you to make any decisions beyond making a pizza. It’s simply a step-by-step guide for getting from zero to pizza and amazing your friends and family. And really, yourself as well. That first fabulous pizza is a glorious moment. Learn more right here.