ItalianMedium · Hot
White Bean and Clam Stew with Tomato
Clams braised with white beans and tomato in good olive oil — the beans turn creamy and take on the brine from the clams, and the tomato mellows into something sweet and almost silky. Garlic is in there from the beginning, which is the only way to do it. A stew that feels coastal even when you're nowhere near the water.
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Method
Prepare the Base
2
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Build the Stew
4
Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine with the aromatics. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down slightly.
5
Add the white beans to the pot along with 500ml of water. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cook the Clams
7
Add the clams to the pot and stir to distribute them evenly among the beans.
8
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 5-7 minutes until all the clams have opened. Shake the pot occasionally to move them around.
Finish and Serve
10
11
Stir in the parsley and give the stew a final gentle stir. The broth should be glossy and fragrant.
12
Ladle into deep bowls and serve immediately with crusty bread for mopping up the beautiful broth.
A
Nutri-Score
Excellent balance
A–E · lower is better · score -7
Calories
631
per serving
High in protein · 44gLow sugar · 8gLow saturated fat · 2g
Protein
44g
Carbs
80g
Fat
16g
Sat. fat
2g
Fiber
10g
Sugar
8g
Sodium
863mg
Gluten FreePescatarianDairy FreeEgg FreeHeart HealthyLow Sodium ReadyAnti InflammatoryHigh ProteinOmega 3 RichMediterranean Diet
Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.
Grade pending
Environmental impact
Estimated footprint
Grade pending · 72% ingredient coverage
kg CO2e
≥0.5
per serving
tomato drives 40% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.
Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.
Flavor Profile
7
Umami
4
Sweet
6
Salty
3
Sour
1
Bitter
2
Spicy
Textures
TenderCreamySaucy
Aromas
BrinyGarlickyHerbalTomato Ripe
Kitchen Equipment
Safety & Storage
Cooking Temperature
Cook clams until all have fully opened, approximately 5-7 minutes covered at a gentle simmer; discard any clams that remain closed after cooking as they may be dead and unsafe to consume
Cross Contamination
Use dedicated equipment and cutting boards for clams; avoid contact with other proteins during preparation to prevent cross-contact for those with shellfish allergies
High Risk Population
This dish contains mollusks; pregnant women, elderly, young children, and immunocompromised individuals should only consume shellfish that has been cooked to internal temperature of at least 145°F
Storage
Store live clams on a tray in the coldest part of refrigerator; cover with damp cloth and use within 1-2 days; never store in airtight containers or fresh water as clams will die
Allergen Warning
This recipe contains clams (mollusks), a major allergen; ensure all servingware and utensils are thoroughly cleaned before use by allergen-sensitive individuals
Handling
Inspect clams before cooking and discard any with cracked, broken, or already-open shells that do not close when tapped; scrub shells thoroughly under cold running water to remove sand
Shelf Life
Prepare clams the same day of purchase for optimal freshness and safety; cooked stew may be refrigerated for up to 2 days but quality deteriorates rapidly with seafood content
Pro Tips
Technique
Do not rush the garlic — when you bloom it in the olive oil, keep it moving for that full minute and watch it like it's your own business. Burned garlic turns bitter and your whole stew will suffer for it.
Substitution
If you can't get fresh clams, you can use drained canned clams, though the cooking time drops to just 3 minutes at the end — but trust me, fresh clams make this stew what it is.
Flavor Boost
A pinch of cayenne goes a long way — it builds warmth without heat, letting the sweetness of ripe tomatoes and the brininess of the clams speak for themselves.
Presentation
Serve in wide, deep bowls so the beautiful broth is the star. Ladle generously and make sure every bowl gets a few open clams — nobody wants to fish around for the good stuff.
From the chef
This is the kind of stew my father would throw together on slow days when the market had given us beautiful clams and not much else — the beans soak up all that briny, garlicky tomato broth and become something entirely different from what they started as, soft and rich and coastal. My mother always squeezed a whole lemon over hers at the table, and I still do, because that brightness at the end is what separates a great stew from a heavy one. No cheese near my seafood, ever — but a pile of crusty bread to mop up every drop of that glossy broth? Absolutely essential.
TagsSeafoodClamsBeansTomatoGarlicLemonMediterraneanCoastalGluten FreeDairy Free
AllergensMollusks
Source: generated · May 30, 2026