White Clam Sauce is one of those classic meals that stand the test of time. Clams, garlic, wine, lemon juice, butter herbs alone make a great combination.

White Clam Sauce with or without wine?

These good bacteria help boost the health of your digestive tract.   Check out this article that speaks of research that discovered there are more probiotics in wine then many of the dairy products with probiotics in them.  I knew the Bible spoke about this, however I never put the 2 together until recently.  I was making homemade sauerkraut and reading up on it.  Sauerkraut is made through fermentation and contains a great deal of probiotics as well.  This made me realize that this is why wine has health benefits.

Wine likely came into existance through the fermentation of grapes that were being stored, the skins ruptured causing juices that left unchecked became fermented.  Things couldn't go to waste and people began enjoying this as well as it became a method of preserving and utilizing grapes.

Why are we talking about antibiotics and white clam sauce.  Wine also became a regular staple in peoples meals, and drink.  They could carry wine with no worries of it being contamination as might come with gathering water from an unknown source.  Wine was prevalent, likely it was added in early days as a way of providing liquid when cooking.

It then became a source of flavoring and was determined that white wines flavored lighter foods such as chicken and fish.  Red wines flavored red meat dishes better.  Europe is one of the greatest influencers of the foods we eat.  Countries such as France, Italy, Germany, and Spain to name a few all have wines unique to their regions.

The long and the short of it is that wines are not necessary in your dishes unless you would like them to be part of the dishes.  They each have distinct characteristics that will mold and flavor your dish.  The unspoken rule in the kitchen is you are the chef, if you don't want it in your dish (bearing it isn't needed to gain a specific result) then you leave it out.

White Clam Sauce using canned clams

We are fortunate in our country to have so many products from around the world at our fingertips.  When you gather a recipe you are faced with decisions of using particular products such as fresh or frozen.   In this case fresh or frozen vs canned clams.  100% without debate would say that canned clams are absolutely convenient.

You can buy canned whole or chopped clams and keep them on the shelf in your pantry for extended periods of time.  This is convenient because that one day you may decide that you would like to make clam chowder or white clam sauce.  While it may be daytime and you may be near a seafood store that sells fresh clams, you may not be able to get to the store.

Here is where your canned clams come in handy.  Don't get me wrong I have used them and they are not bad products to use in your recipe.  Importantly to note here is that typically when you want the best product, you want to use fresh of anything.   While this might fly in the face of using your canned clams, you are also faced with that thing that exists for us called practicality.

There are times that certain factors dictate what products are used such as the cost ofa product or the availability of that product.  Canned clams are a viable solution to use in a recipe.  This would most likely only be a big issue if your tastes won't allow for the differences.  Another example might be if you are cooking for someone who isn't willing to pay for a higher quality product and get the cheaper quality product. 

White Clam Sauce Pizza

I firmly believe the world would be a better place if pizza were declared a health food.  I love good pizza, for me this is defined by a nice crisp crust, topped with a subtle layer of sauce and finished with just the right amount of cheese and your favorite topping.

So what about a white clam sauce pizza.  Hmmm interesting thought this is.  Picture it here; a reduced cream sauce, like a bechamel sauce flavored with clam and enhanced by clams, garlic, and parmesan cheese maybe a touch of cracked pepper baked at a screaming high temperature on top of your crisp chewy crust.  This is a winning recipe for a white clam sauce pizza.  You have a choice, you can find it or you can make it.

I say that you go for it, you have got this.  Go and make it.  Take on the world dominate it with crisp chewy pizza cooked on a pizza stone and a pulled with a pizza peel.  Report back with your results.