Asturian Fabada
The quintessential highlight of Asturian gastronomy: a slow-cooked, deeply comforting stew made with premium white faba beans and traditional 'compango' (smoked chorizo, blood sausage, and pork belly) resulting in a naturally rich, glossy broth.
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165 min
Española (Asturiana)
4 servings
The story behind
You seriously have absolutely no idea what an incredible, deeply rewarding and velvety texture experience this stew turns out to be—biting into one of these beans is exactly like experiencing pure, savory butter melting in your mouth! The very first time I traveled to Asturias, locals proudly warned me that a proper fabada completely ruins you for any other bean dish, and they were absolutely right. It completely blew my mind to discover that the golden secret doesn't lie in using complicated spices, but rather in the extreme quality of the native white beans and absolute patience over low heat. The ultimate trick shared by a village chef to failure-proof this recipe—achieving that thick, beautifully emulsified red reduction without breaking the beans—is 'scaring' them: you must shock the boiling pot by pouring in a small splash of cold water two or three times during the simmer, and never insert a spoon to stir them under any circumstances. Instead, you dynamically swirl the entire pot by its handles. Personally, I absolutely love putting this menu together on cold, rainy winter afternoons because the rich smoky aroma makes the entire house feel warm and cozy. It looks completely identical to the photo layout when you ladle the stew piping hot inside a traditional brown clay dish, letting the thick chunks of chorizo and dark blood sausage peer proudly through the glistening, deep reddish-orange broth matrix, exactly like the display in Fabada asturiana.jpg. You will fall in love with it completely!
Instructions
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1The night before cooking (at least 12 hours prior), submerge your dried white beans in a deep bowl of cold water so they expand beautifully and double their structural footprint.
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2In a wide, deep heavy-bottomed stockpot, lay down the drained beans and arrange the traditional 'compango' elements neatly across the top: chorizos, blood sausages, pork belly, and ham hock.
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3Pour in plenty of fresh cold water to submerge the ingredients completely, ensuring the water level sits about two fingers above the beans. Set the stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil.
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4Right when the water breaks into a roaring boil, a thick white foam layer containing surface meat impurities will build up. Meticulously skim away every trace of this foam with a slotted spoon to secure a pristine, glossy finish.
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5Toss in your saffron threads and sweet smoked paprika. As soon as the red boil restarts, 'scare' the beans by pouring in a small splash of cold water to drop the pan temperature instantly (this locks the skins onto the beans, keeping them from splitting). Drop the stove flame to minimum.
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6Cover the pot partially with a lid and let it simmer incredibly slow for 2 to 2.5 hours total. During this timeline, shock the beans with a cold water splash twice more.
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7Remember: never plunge a spoon inside the matrix to stir. To keep the ingredients moving safely, grab the handles of the pot and gently roll it in a circular, shaking motion.
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8Taste the rich red reduction roughly 15 minutes before pulling off the burner and balance the final layers with sea salt to preference. The dish is done when the inside of a bean feels completely velvety and smooth like fine butter.
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9To flawlessly capture the presentation design of Fabada asturiana.jpg, lift out the meats, slice them into thick, generous portions, and nestle them back into the pot. Serve piping hot inside a traditional brown clay dish, showcasing the glossy whole white beans surrounded by that thick, naturally emulsified crimson broth.
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