Chef Isabel
Fabes con Almejas
Fabes con almejas is Asturian spoon food where the bean pot meets the Cantabrian coast: creamy fabes first, clams last, so the broth turns silky and the shellfish stay tender.
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Fabada Asturiana
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Fabada Asturiana is Asturias in a pot: fat fabes de la granja, cured compango, and a slow tremble on the stove until the beans turn creamy and the broth shines.
Soups & Stews
Spanish
Comfort Food
Special Occasion
One Pot
25 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•15 hr 25 min total
Yield6 servings
Fabada Asturiana belongs to Asturias, the green north, and what makes it itself is the pairing of fat fabes de la granja with compango, the cured chorizo, morcilla, lacón, and tocino that season the whole pot. No sofrito, no browning, no cleverness. This is cocina de cuchara, spoon food, and the beans and pork do the work if you let them.
The method that decides the dish is the simmer. Start the soaked fabes in cold water, bring them up slowly, then hold the pot at the barest tremble. Never a hard boil. A boil bursts the beans and turns the broth cloudy and rough; a slow tremble keeps the skins whole while the insides go creamy. If the pot threatens to dry or boil too hard, add a splash of cold water, asustar las fabes, to calm it down.
If you can't find fabes where you are, use judión beans or good large cannellini. The texture will be a little less buttery, but the dish still stands if the compango is right. Hunt for Spanish cooking chorizo and morcilla Asturiana if you can. No hace falta haber pisado España, but the pork has to taste of the place.
My margin note for fabada is short: sin prisa, without hurry. Soak properly, simmer gently, salt late, and let the pot rest before serving. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Fabada belongs to Asturias, where fabes de la granja were prized for their large size, thin skin, and creamy flesh in long-cooked winter stews. The compango comes from the matanza, the household pig slaughter that filled the larder with cured chorizo, morcilla, lacón, and tocino for the cold months. Though it is now one of Asturias's best-known dishes, it carries the older logic of a rural household: beans as the body of the meal, pork used carefully to season the whole pot.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried fabes de la granja
Quantity
500g
soaked overnight
chorizo asturiano
Quantity
2 links, about 220g total
morcilla asturiana
Quantity
2 links, about 220g total
lacón or cured pork shoulder
Quantity
300g
in one piece, soaked if very salty
tocino or cured pork belly
Quantity
150g
in one piece
small onion
Quantity
1
peeled and left whole
garlic cloves
Quantity
3
peeled and left whole
bay leaf
Quantity
1
saffron threads (optional)
Quantity
1 pinch
sweet pimentón de la Vera (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
fine salt
Quantity
to taste
cold water
Quantity
as needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried fabes de la granjasoaked overnight | 500g |
| chorizo asturiano | 2 links, about 220g total |
| morcilla asturiana | 2 links, about 220g total |
| lacón or cured pork shoulderin one piece, soaked if very salty | 300g |
| tocino or cured pork bellyin one piece | 150g |
| small onionpeeled and left whole | 1 |
| garlic clovespeeled and left whole | 3 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| saffron threads (optional) | 1 pinch |
| sweet pimentón de la Vera (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| fine salt | to taste |
| cold water | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy pot or olla, 5 to 6 litres
- •Large soaking bowl
- •Skimming spoon
- •Small pan for pimentón oil
Instructions
- 1
Soak the beans
Put the fabes in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of cold water by at least 8cm. Leave them 12 hours. If the lacón is very salty, soak it separately in cold water overnight too, changing the water once if you remember. Pésalo, no lo adivines: the bean-to-pork balance is what keeps this a fabada and not a salty pork soup.
Discard any beans that float after soaking. They cook unevenly and give you trouble in the pot. - 2
Start cold
Drain the fabes and put them in a wide, heavy pot. Add the lacón, tocino, chorizos, morcillas, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cover with fresh cold water by two fingers, about 2.5 litres. Bring it up slowly over medium-low heat. Starting cold lets the beans and cured meats heat together, so the skins don't split from a sudden shock.
- 3
Skim and steady
As foam rises, skim it away with a spoon. When the pot reaches a gentle bubble, lower the heat until the surface barely trembles. This is the whole discipline of fabada: low, steady, and quiet. Do not stir with a spoon, or you'll break the beans. If you need to move anything, take the pot by the handles and give it a slow shake.
- 4
Season the broth
After 1 hour, crumble the saffron between your fingers and add it to the pot. If your chorizo is mild, warm the olive oil in a small pan, take it off the heat, stir in the pimentón for a few seconds, then add it to the fabada. Do not scorch pimentón. It goes bitter quickly, and there is no fixing that.
- 5
Asustar las fabes
Continue cooking at that bare tremble for 2 to 3 hours total, depending on the beans. Whenever the liquid drops too low or the pot starts to bubble hard, add 100ml cold water around the edge. This is asustar las fabes, startling the beans, and it helps keep them whole while the broth thickens naturally.
- 6
Salt near end
When the fabes are tender all the way through and creamy inside, taste the broth. Add salt only now, little by little, because the cured meats have been salting the pot from the beginning. If the broth is thin, simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. If it is too thick, loosen it with a splash of hot water.
- 7
Rest and serve
Lift out the chorizo, morcilla, lacón, and tocino. Slice them thickly and return them to the pot, or serve them on a platter beside the beans as many Asturian homes do. Take the fabada off the heat and let it rest 20 minutes before serving. The broth settles, the fat rises in little red pools, and the beans finish drinking in the flavour. Tal como se hace allí.
Chef Tips
- •The fabes matter, but the compango matters more. If you can only spend your effort on one thing, find real Spanish cooking chorizo and morcilla Asturiana. A fresh sausage from the supermarket will not give the same broth.
- •Use judión beans or large cannellini if fabes de la granja are out of reach. They will be less creamy and may cook faster, so start checking at 1 hour 45 minutes. The method stays the same.
- •Do not boil fabada to hurry it. A hard boil breaks the beans and makes the broth rough. Low heat looks like nothing is happening, then suddenly the pot is right.
- •Fabada is better the next day. Chill it once cool, then reheat very gently with a splash of water. Do not stir hard. Shake the pot and let the beans keep their shape.
- •Serve it with bread and Asturian sidra if you have it. A sharp cider cuts the richness cleanly. If not, drink a dry, bright white wine or just water and be sensible.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the fabes 12 hours ahead in plenty of cold water. If the lacón is very salty, soak it separately overnight.
- •Cook the fabada a day ahead if you can. Cool it uncovered until no longer hot, refrigerate it, then reheat slowly with a little water.
- •Slice the compango after cooking, not before. Whole pieces season the pot without falling apart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 490g)
Calories
890 calories
Total Fat
54 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
33 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
2100 mg
Total Carbohydrates
54 g
Dietary Fiber
13 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
49 g
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