Alubia Blancas With White Wine Clams and Spanish Chorizo

RECIPE: Reprinted with permission from The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry, copyright © 2024. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Photo: Ed Anderson

September 04, 2024

A flavorful seafood dish that’s easy enough to throw together for a tasty weeknight dinner.

In The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen, author and Rancho Gordo Kitchen founder Steve Sando pairs mild beans with white wine clams and Spanish chorizo. “White beans and seafood may not seem like an ideal pair, but the mild beans in this recipe take on a lot of flavor from the clams,” he writes. “You can throw in other types of seafood here too—it’s easy to improvise.”

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6

2 lbs. small clams, scrubbed well
4 cups cooked white beans, such as Rancho Gordo Alubia Blanca or Caballero beans, bean broth reserved
1⁄2 cup finely chopped Spanish-style cured chorizo
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1⁄2 cup dry white wine
Country-style bread and butter for serving

Tools:large pot, large lidded saucepan
Glass:large shallow bowls
Garnish:Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

In a large pot, heat the beans in their broth over medium-low heat.

In a very large lidded saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook gently until some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and wine and cook to allow the flavors to mingle, 5 to 6 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the clams. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

Uncover the pan and cook until all of the clams open, another few minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, then remove and discard any clams that failed to open.

Add the clam mixture to the bean pot and stir very gently until well mixed. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle but not get murky.

Ladle into large, shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Set out a large bowl for discarded shells and encourage your guests to eat the clams with their fingers. Pass plenty of good, hearty bread and rich, creamy butter at the table.