President John Tyler's "Clam Pie"

We’re going way back, nearly 200 years, for this recipe from a dead president. Now, I don’t know about you, but until I found this recipe, I had never tasted or even heard of a clam pie. In a culinary context, at least. I’ve been to New England about 30 times and not once have I seen a clam pie on a menu there. Maybe it’s a vintage recipe from bygone times, or maybe I’ve just been visiting the wrong diners. Either way, I’m going straight to the most famous clam pie of all time: a clam pie eaten in The White House.

Chef John Tyler

Whig President from Virginia

As always, I followed the recipe word for word directly from the first Whig featured on Cookin’ with Congress, no alterations:

INGREDIENTS

Double pie crust

1.5 lbs potatoes

1/2 onion

1 tsp parsley

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic

Pinch of flour

1 tbsp cream

2 cups of chopped clams

INSTRUCTIONS

1) First, prepare a rich double crust for the pie. Keep it in the refrigerator until the pie is ready.

As with many old recipes, they assume you just know how to make a rich pie crust. I used this go-to recipe for my double crust. I want to state that the numbers listed above were NOT included in the original recipe. It just said “potatoes” and “a little cream” so I’ve included what I did as guidance. However, please feel free to use 8 lbs. of potatoes and as much cream as you think is “a little.” Go nuts.

2) Peel and cut up potatoes into fine pieces.

Yukon Gold or die.

3) Add onion and parsley and cook in a saucepan with a little water, until tender.

4) Drain the water off, add butter, a light dusting of flour, a little cream, 1 garlic clove, minced, and chopped clams. Soft and hard clams together make the best pie.

Okay, so clams are not always easy to find, so if you need to go with canned, that’s fine. Fresh are probably best, and definitely the most authentic. Either way, your pie will be clammy.

5) Mix all ingredients together, then fill the pie shell with the mixture. Add top crust. Bake in a hot (425-450 degree) oven until the curst is lightly browned. Serves 4 if you use about 2 cups of chopped clams.

Voila! If you want to actually watch me attempt to eat it, go to the CwC Instagram or TikTok. I’ve made a lot of dishes from presidents, as readers of Gastro Obscura are well aware, and this dish lands squarely in the middle in terms of presentation. Double crust? Not bad looking. Interior? Slightly off-putting, but not disgusting like Wilson’s raw-egg breakfast nor beautiful like Obama’s pie. Looks a bit bland, but what can you expect with 80% beige ingredients?

Verdict:

Did you notice how the recipe had no salt or pepper? Because I did once I tasted it. It’s incredibly bland. Made me want to add salt, pepper, chili crisp and hot sauce. Which I totally will and maybe I’ll eat this for a few days. Tyler’s other recipes DO call for salt, too, so it’s not like I made a mistake here by not taking the initiative. Maybe one day I’ll taste a salty clam pie.