Clam Pie Recipe: How to Make New England–Style Clam Pie
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Dec 20, 2024 • 4 min read
Conjure the shores of Cape Cod with savory New England–style clam pie. Learn how to make the pie from scratch here.
Learn From the Best
What Is Clam Pie?
Clam pie is a savory pie similar to chicken pot pie, with a thick gravy surrounding chopped clams, all encased in a pie crust. Quahog clams are abundant in New England, a northeastern region of the United States, and have been a staple food for the Wampanoag for hundreds of years. Their meaty texture and savory flavor make quahogs an ideal filling for the European-style, double-crust meat pie favored by colonists.
While this savory comfort food is a popular dish in its own right, some may think of clam pizza—a specialty of New Haven, Connecticut—when they hear “clam pie.”
4 Tips for Making Clam Pie
Clam pie consists of a crispy pie crust with a thick and creamy clam filling. Make a clam pie using the following tips:
- 1. Use the right clams. New England–style clam pie features northern quahogs (Mercenaria mercenaria), which get graded by size: Littlenecks are the smallest, cherrystones are slightly bigger, and chowder clams are the largest. However, you can use other types of clams, like steamers, in clam pie if those are available. Chop large clams (like chowder clams) into smaller pieces and leave smaller clams (like the littlenecks) whole.
- 2. Choose between fresh or store-bought clams. Many grocery store fish counters, pantry aisles, or freezer aisles carry pre-cooked chopped clams, making prep easy for this recipe. However, when using fresh clams, you’ll need to clean them first. (Learn how to clean clams.) Next, steam the clams to cook them and open the shell; here’s how to steam clams. Remove the clam meat from the shells and chop them with a very sharp knife: Clams can be tough for diners to cut with a fork and butter knife.
- 3. Make the filling ahead of time. The longer the pie filling sits, the more intense the flavor becomes. The filling also thickens up more as it sits in the refrigerator, making it easier on the pie crust when it’s time for assembly. Putting hot pie filling into the crust could make it too soggy and cause it to lose structure.
- 4. Cool the pie before slicing. Cutting into a clam pie fresh out of the oven causes the filling to spill out because it hasn’t had the chance to restabilize yet. The base for a clam pie is a roux, which thickens the filling. The fat in the roux and the other filling ingredients need a chance to seize up before getting cleaner slices from the pie.
New England Clam Pie Recipe
makes
1 9-inch pieprep time
15 mintotal time
1 hr 35 mincook time
1 hr 20 minIngredients
For the pie crust:
For the pie filling:
Note: The total time does not include at least 1 hour and 45 minutes of inactive time.
Make the pie filling:
- 1
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter.
- 2
Sauté the diced onions and celery until softened, about 7 minutes.
- 3
Add the salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
- 4
Sprinkle the flour over the sautéed vegetables.
- 5
Cook the flour and vegetable mixture until the flour loses its raw taste, about 3 minutes.
- 6
Stirring constantly, add in the clam juice, followed by the heavy cream and clams.
- 7
Cook the clam filling until thickened, about 20 minutes.
- 8
Pour the filling into a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a lid, and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Make the pie crust:
- 1
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the all-purpose flour and salt to combine.
- 2
With the food processor running, add the cold butter 1 tablespoon at a time.
- 3
With the food processor running, add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to form a ball. (You may not need all of the ice water.)
- 4
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half, then form each half into discs.
- 5
Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Assemble and bake the pie:
- 1
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Unwrap one chilled dough disc and place it on a lightly floured surface.
- 3
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼-inch-thick circle.
- 4
Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate.
- 5
Cut off the excess pie dough, leaving enough to crimp the edges.
- 6
Pour the pie filling into the crust.
- 7
Roll out the second pie dough disc slightly larger than the pie dish.
- 8
Top the pie filling with the top crust.
- 9
Cut slits or decorative designs into the top crust to allow steam to escape.
- 10
Crimp the edges of the crust to seal the filling inside.
- 11
Bake the pie until both the top and bottom crusts are deep golden brown and the filling bubbles, about 50 minutes. (Use a glass pie dish to see the color of the bottom crust. If the top crust browns too much, tent the pie with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.)
- 12
Cool the pie for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Alice Waters, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Gordon Ramsay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, and more.