My Take on a New Haven Classic
By Andrew Zimmern
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, I’m showcasing the cherrystone clams, one of my all-time favorite ingredients, with two show-stopping grilled preparations. First up, my version of a classic — grilled clams casino — plump cherrystones are crowned with pancetta, breadcrumbs, brown butter and herbs. Then, I’ll show you how easy it can be to grill pizza outside. My go-to topping? Clams, paper-thin garlic, spicy fresno chiles, and a blend of pecorino Romano and Reggiano parmesan. Throughout the episode, I’ll share essential techniques for handling clams on the grill, from tips on opening the clams to instructions on creating an ideal “ring fire” for even cooking. Cherrystone clams deserve to be a star in your outdoor kitchen repertoire.
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Grilled Pizza with Clams
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough (homemade or store bought), divided into 3 dough balls
- 15 cherrystone clams
- 6 ounces pancetta, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced paper thin
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 red fresno chiles, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mixed grated pecorino Romano and parmesan cheeses
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish
- Semolina flour
Instructions
Prepare a grill for medium direct heat cooking.
Roast the clams on your grill until they open. Remove. Shuck and reserve clams and clam juice in a bowl.
Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sauté the pancetta until it begins to render its fat and gets lightly crisp. Add the onions, garlic, oregano and fresno chile. Sauté until onions are glassy, reserve to a plate.
Get all of the rest of the toppings ready for the pizza. Chop the reserved clams. Grate the cheese.
Lightly flour your work surface. Roll out the dough, stretching with your hands or using a rolling pin, until you have roughly a 10-to-12-inch circle. Dust the pizza peel with semolina flour. Place the blank dough on the pizza peel.
Top the pie with the cheeses, onion mixture, the clams, a sprinkle of oregano and chile flake. Drizzle with olive oil.
Transfer to cook on the grill grate over medium indirect heat. Use a pizza peel to move and rotate the pizza as it cooks. Grill until the bottom is browned, the dough is evenly cooked through and firm, and the cheese is melted and hot, about 5-6 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.
Alternatively, you can par-cook your crust. Place a pizza blank without toppings over a medium hot fire. Cook for 2 minutes, using the pizza peel to rotate and move it as it cooks, then flip and cook until the second side is browned. Remove from the heat to a work surface or pizza peel. Add your toppings, and return to the grill and cook until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp.
If you don’t have a grill grate with wide slats, you can also place a pizza stone on your grill, just make sure to preheat it over medium-high heat until it’s very hot before cooking your pizza.
