Fabes con marisco (fabes with seafood) are the dish for special meals. They bring the usual creamy faba and the flavour of the sea together on the same plate. If you have searched for fabes with king prawns or for a recipe of fabes with clams and prawns, here is a complete version for four people, with timings for a regular pot and for a pressure cooker. At Finca El Ribeiro, in San Martín de Luiña, we grow and pack our own Faba Asturiana PGI de La Granja, and its very thin skin and creamy texture suit this dish perfectly.
Ingredients for fabes with king prawns and seafood for 4 people
- Fabas. 400 g of Faba Asturiana PGI.
- King prawns. 8 to 12 raw king prawns, depending on size.
- Prawns. 150 g of prawns, peeled or in the shell.
- Clams. 300 g of clams.
- Mussels. 300 g, optional.
- Onion. One small one, whole, for the cooking.
- Leek and carrot. A piece of each for the broth.
- Garlic and parsley. Two cloves and a handful of parsley.
- White wine. 100 ml.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Four tablespoons.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
The seafood broth, the base of the dish
The difference between decent fabes con marisco and really good ones lies in the broth. Peel the king prawns and the prawns and keep the heads and shells. Sauté them in a pot with a splash of oil, crush them with the spoon so they release their juices, add half a litre of water and simmer over gentle heat for about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve. That broth is what will give flavour to the final cooking.
If you are short of time, you can cook the fabas with just water and vegetables, and use the seafood broth in the last minutes. What matters is that the flavour of the sea reaches the fabas.
Fabes con marisco recipe step by step
Preparing the fabas
- Soaking. Leave the fabas in cold water the night before, about 12 hours, and drain them.
- Cooking. In a tall pot put the fabas, the onion, the leek, the carrot, one garlic clove and a splash of oil. Cover with cold water.
- Scaring. When it comes to a boil, skim off the foam and add cold water. Repeat three times.
- Cook slowly. Over gentle heat for between an hour and a half and two hours. Do not stir with a spoon, move the pot. When the beans are tender, remove the vegetables.
In a pressure cooker, count between 20 and 25 minutes from when it whistles, with one or two scares before closing, and let the pressure drop on its own.
Preparing the seafood
- Clams and mussels. Purge the clams in coarse salt water for an hour. Clean the mussels and remove the beards.
- Sofrito. In a wide pan brown the second, chopped garlic clove in oil. Add the parsley.
- Open the shellfish. Add the clams and the mussels, turn up the heat, pour in the wine and cover. In 3 or 4 minutes they will open. Discard anything that does not open and strain the juice.
- King prawns and prawns. In the same pan, with a little oil, sauté the king prawns and the prawns for just one minute per side. They should be barely done, because they will keep cooking on the plate.
Putting it all together
Add the strained seafood broth and the clam juice to the fabas. Heat gently, add the seafood and move the pot. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 10 minutes. The broth should be silky and intensely flavoured. Taste for salt carefully, because the seafood already adds quite a lot.
The version by @cocinaconquiros
The food blogger @cocinaconquiros prepared fabes with king prawns and seafood using our faba, and we loved seeing them. If you enjoy cooking with inspiration, it is worth visiting her profile to see how she presents them.
Tips for getting the dish right
- Seafood at the end. Any long cooking leaves it rubbery.
- Gentle heat. A hard boil breaks the fabas and clouds the broth.
- Broth with the heads. It is what gives depth. Do not throw it away.
- Resting. Ten minutes covered and the fabas finish binding the broth.
- Fabas cooked ahead. You can cook them a day before and finish the dish in 15 minutes.
For this recipe, a thin-skinned faba makes the difference, because it melts into the broth. You can read how it is grown on our faba page. And if you want to make sure you buy a genuine faba, read how to recognise authentic Faba Asturiana PGI.
Variations
- Only clams and prawns. More economical, with the same result.
- With monkfish or Norway lobster. For a very special occasion.
- With a touch of heat. A chilli pepper in the sofrito, if you like it.
Frequently asked questions about fabes con marisco
What seafood does the traditional fabes con marisco recipe use?
There is no single formula. The most common are clams, prawns and king prawns, and sometimes mussels. What matters is that the seafood is fresh and added at the end.
How long do the fabas need to cook?
In a regular pot, between an hour and a half and two hours over gentle heat. In a pressure cooker, 20 to 25 minutes from when it whistles. Then they are finished with the seafood in a few minutes.
Can you use frozen king prawns?
Yes, thaw them slowly in the fridge and dry them well before sautéing. They lose some texture compared with fresh, but the broth made with the shells still gives plenty of flavour.
Do the fabas need soaking for this dish?
Yes, the best practice is to leave them in cold water from the night before. That way they cook evenly and the skin stays whole.
How many servings come from a kilo of faba?
A kilo of our faba gives between 8 and 10 servings. With 400 g you have four servings.
Make this recipe with faba from the farm
For truly good fabes with king prawns and seafood, you need a good faba. Find ours, Faba Asturiana PGI de La Granja, in the fabas shop. And if you are looking for more ideas, go to recipes.