Clams with Navy Beans (Alubias con Almejas)
In Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean, from which this recipe is adapted, the author writes that alubias con almejas is her favorite clam recipe — quite the statement, so we couldn’t wait to try it. We love her quick and easy version, which uses canned beans. Which beans to use perplexed us, as the original recipe title is “Haricot Beans with Clams,” and the ingredient list calls for a can of “small white haricot beans or Great Northern Beans.” We’ve never seen a can of anything called small white haricot beans, but the dried white beans called alubias blancas in Spain are similar to navy beans, so we used a can of those. You could also buy dried heirloom alubias blancas (Rancho Gordo carries them!), simmer some up and use them in place of canned beans.
Serves 2.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds / 680 grams clams in their shells
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 small fresh red chile, chopped, or a pinch of chile flakes
3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 15-ounce /425 gram can navy beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup / 120 ml fruity white wine or cava
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
1. Throw away any clams that are broken and any open ones that do not close when you tap them on the sink or dip them in ice-cold water. Scrub them with a brush if they are dirty, then leave in fresh cold water for 20 minutes — they will push out any sand that remains inside. Drain and rinse them in cold water.
2. Warm the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven or pan with a tight-fitting lid over low heat. Add the onion and the fresh chile (if using) and stir until very soft and beginning to color. Add the garlic, along with chile flakes (if you’re using those), and stir for a minute or two.
3. Add the beans, wine or cava and salt to the pan; mix gently, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Put the claims on top, put the lid on, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the clams open. Throw away any that do not open. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning, then serve sprinkled with the parsley.
Clams with Navy Beans (Alubias con Almejas)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds / 680 grams clams in their shells
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/2 small fresh red chile, chopped, or a pinch of chile flakes
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- One 15-ounce /425 gram can navy beans or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup / 120 ml fruity white wine or cava
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Throw away any clams that are broken and any open ones that do not close when you tap them on the sink or dip them in ice-cold water. Scrub them with a brush if they are dirty, then leave in fresh cold water for 20 minutes — they will push out any sand that remains inside. Drain and rinse them in cold water.
- Warm the olive oil in a wide Dutch oven or pan with a tight-fitting lid over low heat. Add the onion and the fresh chile (if using) and stir until very soft and beginning to color. Add the garlic, along with chile flakes (if you’re using those), and stir for a minute or two.
- Add the beans, wine or cava and salt to the pan; mix gently, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Put the claims on top, put the lid on, and cook over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until the clams open. Throw away any that do not open. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning, then serve sprinkled with the parsley.
