Fabes con Almejas (Spanish Beans with Clams)
Serves 4 Time 90 minutes Difficulty 1/5 Ingredients 11 Steps 11
Fabes con almejas, sometimes called habas con almejas, (Spanish for beans with clams) is a clam and bean stew that originated in the principality of Asturias in Spain in the 1800s as peasant fare. It's a lighter variation of Asturian fabada whose primary ingredients are sausage, beans and pork.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) dried white beans (e.g. navy, great northern, cannellini)
- 24 live littleneck or mahogany clams
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ ea. (~ 4 oz) onion
- 1 generous pinch of saffron or yellow food coloring
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika (not smoked)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- A large loaf of crusty bread
- Salt as needed
Steps
- Rinse the beans. Soak overnight.
- Scrub the clams clean. Rinse.
- Drain the beans. Place in a skillet with the onion, garlic, two pinches of parsley, bay leaves and olive oil.
- Add just enough water to cover. Cook over a high flame.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off foam. Cook, loosely covered, about 90 minutes until done. Add water as needed; never let the water drop below the height of the ingredients.
- When the beans are almost done, place the clams in a separate skillet with about an inch of water. Cover. Cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally. Check every minute. Remove clams to a bowl as they open, no more than 10 minutes.
- Save the clam broth. Strain through a cloth if there is a lot of grit.
- Add the broth to the simmering beans with the saffron (or food coloring), the remaining parsley, paprika and salt to taste.
- Cover. Cook 5–10 minutes.
- Ladle the beans and broth into bowls. Add six clams to each bowl.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Notes from the original
- Be sure to follow the safe handling tips for clams.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Fabes con Almejas (Spanish Beans with Clams)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-04-12, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Fabes con almejas - Jlastras.jpg by jlastras, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.