Beans with seafood
Leti, author of Revealing Flavors , brings us a perfect recipe to take advantage of the cocotte, emphasizing cooking without haste and enjoying the most traditional flavors. Thus, he brings us a recipe for beans with seafood, which you can make if you prefer with beans or similar. A spoon and dipping dish. Go for it!
Of course, if there is one good thing about the fact that winter this year has not decided to leave yet, it is that we can continue enjoying spoon dishes a little more. Although it is also true that I do not stop preparing this type of dish until it is absolutely necessary (when you risk suffering from heat stroke while enjoying them, wow).
Of course, you put this dish on me in the middle of August and I think I wouldn't be able to refuse. And it is that a fantastic dish, which combines delicious beans, with that delicate texture that is pure butter, with the powerful flavor of seafood and that tasty broth... It's not just that I eat a plate, it's that I even repeat it!!
And of course, from my point of view, if there is something that adds the final touch to this recipe, it is preparing it in the Le Creuset cocotte, over low heat and letting the beans cook little by little to obtain the better texture . Because, since we are going to use the best ingredients, their thing is to prepare them with care to enjoy our dish to the fullest, don't you think?
What, shall we go for the recipe?
Bérard olive wood spoon , Pallarès carbon steel knife , Nezumi Tokyo Design Studio ceramic plate and Evolution Le Creuset round cocotte
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 500g of fabes from the farm (or white beans)
- 8 prawns or prawns
- 100g of clams
- 100g of cockles
- 200g of mussels
- 1 glass of white wine (approximately)
- ½ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- Olive oil
- Water
- Salt
Elaboration
- We begin by soaking the fabes or beans in cold water for at least 12 hours. The water should cover them loosely, so that, during the time they are soaking, we can add a little more water if necessary.
- Once we have the beans already hydrated, we put them in the cocotte along with the onion, the bay leaf and a drizzle of olive oil . Cover with cold water and place over medium heat until they come to a boil, removing the foam that will rise to the surface whenever necessary, with the help of a slotted spoon .
- Once it starts to boil, we must "scare" them, that is, add a little cold water to the casserole, which will stop the cooking. We will scare them 3 times, that is, each time it starts to boil, we will add a little cold water until we have added water 3 times.
- Lower the heat and, with the lid of the cocotte ajar, let them cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours, until they are tender.
- During cooking, which should always be over a low heat to prevent the beans from breaking or skinning, we will be watching that they do not run out of water. If we have to add more water, we will do it with hot water, and if we need to stir them, we will never do it by introducing a spoon into the cocotte, as it would break the beans, but by moving the cocotte in circular movements, holding it by the handles.
- Once the onion is tender, we take it out of the cocotte and grind it with a little bit of the bean broth, using a blender . Once crushed we add it back to the casserole.
- While the beans are cooking we are preparing the seafood .
- It is important that we put both the clams and the cockles in a bowl with cold salted water for at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) so that they remove any remaining sand that they may have.
- After this time we put a pan or casserole on low heat, cover the bottom with a little white wine (only cover the bottom) add the cockles and cover the pan.
- As the cockles open, remove them to a plate. Strain the broth with the help of a strainer and reserve both the cooking broth and the cockles.
- We repeat the process with the clams.
- In the same way we repeat the process with the mussels, which we will have clean of beards or remains that could be in the shells.
- In all 3 cases, it is important that we remove them from the pan as soon as they open, since they will cook later along with the beans.
- Then we peel the prawns and reserve the heads and shells on one side, and the tails on the other.
- Cover the bottom of the pan with a little olive oil, heat over medium heat and add the sliced garlic.
- When the garlic is golden brown, add the heads and shells of the prawns to the pan and fry over high heat for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring from time to time and using the pestle for example, crush the heads.
- After that time, add the remaining wine and cook for 1 more minute, until the alcohol evaporates. Add half a glass of water and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- After this time, we strain the broth and using the pestle of the mortar, or a strainer with a ball , we press the shells and heads of the prawns well so that they release all the juice.
- Reserve the broth and discard the rest.
- In the same pan we put a little olive oil and when it is hot we add the bodies of the prawns, just mark them for a moment on each side. We booked.
- When the beans take approximately half the cooking time, add the shellfish cooking broth to the cocotte and continue cooking.
- In the last 10 minutes of cooking the beans, we add the shellfish to the cocotte so that it boils all together and the flavors are well integrated.
- When the beans are tender, we correct the point of salt, let it rest for 10 minutes... And enjoy!!
Emile Henry ceramic ramekins , Pallarès carbon steel knife , Bérard olive wood spoon , Nezumi Tokyo Design Studio ceramic plate and Evolution Le Creuset round cocotte
Grades
- Although you can enjoy this freshly prepared dish, the ideal would be to let it rest for even 1 day for the flavors to settle.
- I have used the varieties of seafood that I indicate in the recipe, but you can make this dish with the ones you prefer.
- As you will see, I do not add salt to the recipe, since it is provided by the shellfish. However, at the end of cooking, try and adjust the salt to your liking.
