Large white Asturian beans cooked slowly and finished with clams, which open in the pot and season it with the sea.
What makes it fabes con almejas
Fabes, or other large white beans, cooked very gently.
Clams added at the end, just until they open.
A light broth with onion, garlic, saffron and a little white wine.
Where it comes from
It's the sea's answer to the fabada: the same big, buttery fabes, cooked with clams instead of smoked meats, in a pale, saffron-scented broth. It's usually said to be much younger than the fabada — a restaurant dish of the twentieth century.
The clams go in at the very end and cook only until they open, so they stay tender; the beans, as always in Asturias, are shaken and never stirred.