Fabes con almejas – Asturian white beans with clams
Large Asturian white beans (fabes) simmered slowly with onion, garlic, bay and saffron, then finished with clams opened in a garlic, paprika and white wine sauce. A weekend classic from Asturias; with ordinary white beans it becomes alubias con almejas.
- 14 h 35Time
- 25 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- ≈ €2.75per portion
- 540kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 400 gDried white beans, ideally fabes
- 1Yellow onion, halved
- 2 clovesGarlic, peeled
- 1Bay leaf
- 2 tbspOlive oil, for the beans
- ≈ 1.5 lWater, cold
- 1 gSaffron
- 600 gFresh clams
- 3 tbspOlive oil, for the sauce
- 3 clovesGarlic, finely chopped
- 1 tspPlain flour
- 1 tspPaprika
- 100 mlWhite wine
- 2 tbspParsley, chopped
- to tasteSalt
Method
- The night before, soak the beans in plenty of cold water.
- Drain the beans and put them in a wide pot with the onion, whole garlic cloves, bay leaf and oil. Pour in the cold water and bring to the boil over a medium heat, skimming off any foam.
- When it boils, add a splash of cold water to stop the boil, turn the heat right down and cover. Simmer very gently for about 2 hours, until the beans are creamy. Don't stir: shake the pot now and then, and add a splash of cold water whenever the beans are no longer covered.
- Meanwhile, put the clams in a bowl of cold water with a good handful of salt for 30 minutes, so they release their sand. Drain and rinse.
- After about 1½ hours, crumble the saffron into a spoonful of the broth and add it to the pot. Lift out the onion and bay leaf.
- Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the chopped garlic over a low heat for 1 minute without letting it colour. Stir in the flour and paprika, then pour in the wine straight away.
- Add the clams, cover and cook over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they open. Discard any that stay closed.
- Tip the clams and their sauce over the beans, scatter over the parsley and simmer everything together over a low heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pot rather than stirring. Season with salt.
- Leave to rest off the heat for 10 minutes, then serve in deep plates.
The cost is estimated from average prices in Spain (MAPA – Panel de Consumo Alimentario en Hogares (Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación), 2026-07).
