Bacon & Clams Pizza

When you combine salty goodness from the land and sea on a pizza you know something good is bound to happen. Bacon and clams could be my favorite pizza topping of all time. This pizza takes its inspiration from the Alsatian tarte flambée also known as flammekueche, which is a pizza covered with crème fraîche, onions and lardons but the added briny flavor of the clams takes it to a whole other level. You won’t want to share this one. Nope. No way!

The bacon was cooked halfway to crispiness in a skillet, the same skillet in which I cooked the clams later on with shallots, garlic, white wine (ahem.. actually I was out of white wine so I used sake), I removed the clams from their shell, reduced the stock and mixed it in with the clams. For the base I whisked crème fraîche with egg yolks and a touch of flour so it’s stays right there on the pizza and doesn’t run away from you while it’s cooking. No food has ever ran away from me. Ever!

My only regret is that I don’t have a 800’F pizza oven in my house that gets you that bubbly and charred pizza crust but this one was every bit as delicious. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

  • Bacon and Clams Pizza

  • Makes 2 pizza
    • For Jim Lahey pizza dough:
    • 3 3/4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
    • 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) active dry yeast
    • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
    • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar
    • 1 1/3 cup (300 grams) water, room temp’
    • XV olive oil
    • For the bacon and clams topping:
    • 36 littleneck clams, cleaned
    • 2 shallot, finely chopped
    • 2 garlic clove, sliced
    • 1 cup dry white wine
    • 2 sprig thyme
    • 1 lb bacon, sliced
    • 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 2 egg yolks
    • parsley, chopped
    • XV olive oil
    • For the pizza dough:
    • In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
    • Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface, divide into two halves and cover with moistened kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
    • When ready to cook, roll out the dough on a floured surface to the desired size and thickness. Place on a floured pizza peel or the back of a baking tray. Brush olive oil over the whole surface.
    • For the pizza:
    • Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500’F.
    • Make sure to wash the clams well in a lot of cold water.
    • In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it renders some of it fat. Place on paper towel and cut into pieces.
    • Add the shallots, garlic and thyme to the same skillet over high heat. Add the clams and white wine. Cover with a lid and let the clams steam open for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the opened clams to a tray to cool (discard the ones that won’t open), reduce the liquid for a few minutes. Remove the clams from their shells, discard the shells, mix them in with the cooked shallots and garlic and some of the cooking liquid.
    • In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the flour and egg yolks.
    • Brush olive oil over the whole surface of the pizza and top with the crème fraîche mixture, the clams and bacon pieces.
    • Bake until crisp, bubbly and golden. About 10 minutes but timing varies depending on ovens.
    • Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
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  • http://willtravelforfood.com mayssam

    I say it’s a good thing you don’t have an 800′F oven in your apartment, might be dangerous for your neighbors! 😉 The pizza looks scrumptious!

  • http://twitter.com/nella22 Marnely Rodriguez

    Oh my…this looks amazing. Bacon loving baker here!

  • http://chefpandita.com Yuri

    Great looking pizza :)

  • karin@yumandmore

    sounds unusual and looks very yummy!!

  • Frank

    This one’s bookmarked. Gotta try it! 

  • http://twitter.com/Grubarazzi Grubarazzi

    This looks amazing!

  • http://www.indochinekitchen.com Jun

    We always make our own pizza at home too. We don’t have the proper oven to fire them, but we are perfectly happy with the result. I am always too afraid to be experimental, so the pizzas only get tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. Time to crisp those bacons and get those clams on them. Those are amazing shots. 

  • Myfudo

    Any alternative for the clams? My daughter has allergy to clams, but totally adores anything that spells P-I-Z-Z-A!

  • Anonymous

    You could leave the clams out altogether and replace them by some caramelized onions. 

  • Anonymous

    Ha! I never think about my neighbors!

  • Anonymous

    Thank you, Jun!

  • http://twitter.com/emiglia Tomatokumato.com

    Amazing! I love flammekueche… but this is so much more creative! (Plus I love the idea of clams on a pizza).

     

  • http://mytastyhandbook.com Adelina

    I loved your beautiful crepes from the previous post and thought it can’t get better than this and now a mouth watering pizza. I have to try the pizza dough recipe. Do you think I can use regular unbleached flour, or do I need bread flour?

  • Smignogna

    one of the best ways ive found to fake the high temp pizza ovens is the follow the same method you used above, but right before you put the pizza in the oven (first make sure to have a oven rack at the top most part of the oven), remove the pizza stone (or cast iron pan) from the oven and slide the pizza onto the stone, turn the oven onto broil, and throw the pizza on the top rack. the high temp broiler and the preheated stone will approx. the pizza oven and in my experience cooks the pizza in 2-3 minutes tops.

  • http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/category/blog/ Katherine Martinelli

    Yeah I haven’t gotten around to getting that 800F pizza oven in my house either but it’s on the list :-) This pizza looks like sheer perfection.

  • Melanie

    I love your recipes. They are unique and wonderful.

  • http://www.weareneverfull.com amy @ wanf

    no way! i had a flammekueche when we were in Lille and it’s been on the list of things to make for awhile – in fact mine had lardons as well. BUT loving the clams. We’ll be leaving to go north in the next few days and are stopping in New Haven for some ‘apizz at Pepes to (hopefully) try their famous clam pie.  it seems like this is the best of both worlds. great job… yum.

  • http://vanillasugarblog.com vanillasugarblog

    can we get a grill to 800 degrees?  imagine that fire eh?  OY
    nice pizza zen man 😉 

  • Anonymous

    Yes, I used that technique at work and it works great. Unfortunately no broiler at home. 

  • Anonymous

    Thank you , Melanie!

  • Anonymous

    Hi Amy, Thanks! Oh yes, I want to hear all about Pepe’s pizza in New Haven and if it’s worth the hype etc, etc.. Hope you’re doing well.

  • Andrew

    hi Zen :-) there actually is a great small pizzaoven which has a stone to bake on and which goes to 450 degree Celcius:
    http://www.italia4you.nl/Italia_4_you_pizzaovens_G3Ferrari.html
    the site is in Dutch, sorry. But the oven is fantastich and can be used also for bread and al kinds of other stuff… Maybe just search the web and find a dealeer somewhere. I bought one in holland and amaze my friends with restaurant-like pizzas…

  • Stacey Snacks

    Hi.

    Remember that amazing clam pizza from Franny’s on Flatbush Ave?
    This looks better!  Wow!

  • http://www.bostonfoodrules.com Jazz Rules

    Ahhhhh excuse me…. did someone say bacon??

  • http://colloquialcooking.com Colloquial Cook

    Gotfortami! Des clams sur ma flammekueche!

  • http://breadetbutter.wordpress.com/ Su-yin

    Clams on pizza. AND with bacon? Oh yes please. Will have to try out this topping combination when I next make pizza!

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