White Bean Stew with Clams

When I first noticed a recipe for clams and white beans in Joyce Goldstein’s Kitchen Conversations, I thought it an improbable combination. As I read on, skepticism turned to interest, because of the intriguing mix of seasonings: paprika, chili pepper flakes, saffron, mint, parsley, garlic, onions, white wine. I thought both beans and clams would like those flavors, so maybe together they’d be even better. And so they were.

But first, I had to take exception to a few things in the recipe. To serve four, Goldstein calls for three dozen small clams and a pound of dried white beans. To me, that’s stingy on the clams and way too heavy on the beans. That amount of beans would at least triple in the soaking and expand even more in the cooking, so each serving would be about two cups of beans. No doubt some people would like that many beans at a sitting, but not Tom and I. On the other hand, we can certainly enjoy more than nine little clams apiece.

For the two of us I used ¼ pound of marrow beans (a large, hard-to-find favorite variety), putting them to soak the night before. The next day, I went out for the clams. Now, clams come in several varieties, and “small” is a relative term. The fish counter at Citarella had littlenecks from local waters, Manila clams from Seattle, and cockles from New Zealand. The cockles were about midsize between the other two and gorgeously fresh-looking. I bought two dozen of them.

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From that point, I followed Goldstein’s recipe – which, by the way, is a version of Fabes con Almejas, a specialty of Spain’s Asturias region – just halving the remaining ingredients. The beans were simmered in water with chopped onion and garlic, half a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of salt until fully done. (She’s of the salt-at-the-beginning school of bean cooking; I’m usually not, but I did it her way this time, with no ill effects.)

In the evening I scrubbed the clams and proceeded to cook. In a broad, shallow pan I softened chopped onions in olive oil; stirred in minced garlic, crushed saffron, dried crushed red pepper, and sweet Hungarian paprika. After two minutes of simmering, I added white wine and the clams, covered the pan, and cooked briskly until the clams opened, shaking the pan from time to time. Meanwhile, I was reheating the beans so I could add them to the clams and let them get acquainted for a few minutes over low heat. When combined, they looked happy to meet each other. Finally, I topped them with chopped mint and parsley.

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This was an excellent dish. All the flavors blended beautifully, and a good crackling of black pepper on the plate provided a final grace note. I think it would make a particularly interesting first course for a seafood dinner. But I’d strongly advise against using the proportion of beans in Goldstein’s recipe: That would surely overwhelm the bright brininess of the clams.