https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...m-pizza-recipe

Making White Clam Pizza At Home

Duplicating Pepe's pies is impossible, but you can come close at home
with the right ingredients, and a little love. Here's how I went about it.

making pepe's pizza at home

Serves. 2

Preparation time. 10 minutes, not counting shucking the clams and making
the crust. If you shuck clams, add another 45 minutes.

Cooking time. 20 minutes.

Makes. One 14" pizza, enough for 2 or 3 people
Ingredients

1 (14") Roman style pizza crust

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal

36 raw Littleneck clam meats

1/2 cup freshly grated real Italian Pecorino Romano cheese

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced fine

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons dried oregano

About the clams. Pepe's uses whole, live fresh Littleneck clams from
Rhode Island and shucks them on site. You can do this too, but it is a
lot easier to get pre-shucked fresh or fresh frozen clam meats. Whole
shucked clams cook at about the same rate as the crust, but if you can
only find chopped clams, they'll do, they just be a little chewier. I'd
advise against minced clams because they are so small and will get
rubbery. Canned whole clams are cooked in the canning process and have
an inferior flavor and they can be very chewy, but in a pinch, they work.

For this recipe I try to find fresh shucked clams first, fresh frozen
second, and sometimes, I buy live clams and then I cheat. I put them in
a pot with about 1/4" of water, cover the pot, turn the flame on high,
and in about 3 minutes they pop open. I watch them carefully so they
don't cook. I want them as close to raw as possible, but this step makes
shucking the sooooo much easier. I let them cool for a few minutes, and
pop them open easily with my fingers. If Frank Pepe knew I did this he
would ban me from his establishment for life, but it works fine, and
there is no Meathead blood in the pizza.

Quahogs, Cherrystones, and Littlenecks, are all Quahogs of different
sizes, in descending order. You need Littlenecks to be authentic, but
the bigger clams can be used. If you get large Quahogs, cut them in half
so they cook properly. Topneck, Longneck, Wellfleet, or other small
clams can be used. Geoduck are too large. Some species have a thin black
stocking over their "foot" that must be peeled before you put them on
the pizza. To learn more about your options, and how best to shuck live
clams, read my article on the Science of Clams.

Salt. I know you want to add salt, but it is not necessary. The clams
and cheese are salty enough.

Optional. If you want, a few flakes of red pepper are nice, and if you
absolutely must, a few chunks of chopped of tomato are good, but heretical.

finished pepe's pizza at home
Method

1) Preheat the grill or oven to at least 450°F. If you can get it
hotter, do. If you are using a stone, put it into the cold oven and let
it heat at least 30 minutes.

2) You can use a frozen dough from the grocer, just not a precooked
dough. But I strongly recommend you try making your own by using the
simple Roman style no knead pizza crust recipe you will find by clicking
this link. It has the right amount of oil in it for the same kind of
crispy crust you find at Pepe's.

Toss the flour on your work surface and spread it thin. Place the dough
in the center and begin working it outward and roll it thin, less than
1/4". Move it to a peel if you are cooking on a pizza stone or to an
oiled pan, either works fine. Throw some cornmeal on the peel or pan to
help the dough slide on and off, and for a bit of flavor.

3) Pat the clams dry and place them on the dough, spreading them out
evenly, and take them to within 1.2" of the edge. Then sprinkle on the
garlic, then the cheese, then the oregano, and finally drizzle on the
oil. The oil will pool but don't worry, it will spread out in the oven.
I like to take a brush and paint a little oil on the edges of the dough.

4) Bake for about 30 minutes until the dough on top and the bottom is
tan to golden. If you wish, push your luck and let it go until there is
a slight blackening on the bottom, but beware, too much char can ruin
your pie. Whatever you do, don't pull the pie until the clams are cooked
through. Raw clams, although they are popular on the half-shell, are
susceptible to contamination and a common source of food-borne illness.
You will notice what looks to be a lot of oil on the surface while it is
cooking, but don't worry, it will be absorbed. You will also notice a
strong garlic smell. It will keep away the vampires.

5) Remove, slice, and serve with a cold lager beer, a wheat beer, or a
crisp Sauvignon Blanc.