Clams in White Bean Sauce

A flavorful Mediterranean dish combining fresh clams with white beans in a fragrant sauce of fennel, garlic, and rosemary. Served with a bright fennel-herb salad and crusty bread for soaking up the delicious broth.

4 servings

42 min

Published October 4, 2025

Ingredients

•1 can white beans
•¼ cup olive oil
•1 to taste Kosher salt and pepper
•1 bulb fennel bulb
•3 cloves garlic cloves
•1 sprig rosemary
•1 whole lemon
•1 handful parsley leaves
•36 pieces littleneck or Manila clams
•4 slices country-style bread
•1 to taste toasted

Cooking Instructions

1.
Toss beans in a medium bowl with a drizzle of oil; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2 min
2.
Halve fennel and remove fronds (don't toss the fronds!). Thinly slice one half of fennel and transfer to a medium bowl along with fronds. Place a damp paper towel directly on fennel to help prevent browning and set aside. Finely chop remaining half of fennel, then thinly slice garlic.
10 min
3.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add chopped fennel, garlic, and rosemary sprig and cook, stirring often, until fennel is translucent and tender but still has some bite, about 5 minutes.
5 min
4.
While that's happening, remove 2 wide strips of zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler. Halve lemon and pick out seeds. Coarsely chop parsley.
5 min
5.
Add clams and lemon zest to pot, squeeze in juice from a lemon half, cover pot, and cook until some clams start to open, 5-7 minutes. Toss and stir clams; use a slotted spoon to transfer any open ones to a medium bowl. Cover pot and cook until remaining clams open, checking sporadically and transferring them to bowl as they are done, 7-9 minutes; discard any clams that don't open. Add reserved seasoned beans to pot and stir to combine; loosen sauce with water if it looks too tight. Return clams to pot, add half of parsley, and toss well.
15 min
6.
Add remaining parsley to bowl with reserved sliced fennel and squeeze remaining lemon half over. Season fennel-herb salad with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Drizzle with a very small amount of oil and toss again.
3 min
7.
Serve clams topped with salad and toasted bread for dipping into sauce.
2 min

Cooking Instructions

Toss beans in a medium bowl with a drizzle of oil; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2 min

Halve fennel and remove fronds (don't toss the fronds!). Thinly slice one half of fennel and transfer to a medium bowl along with fronds. Place a damp paper towel directly on fennel to help prevent browning and set aside. Finely chop remaining half of fennel, then thinly slice garlic.

10 min

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add chopped fennel, garlic, and rosemary sprig and cook, stirring often, until fennel is translucent and tender but still has some bite, about 5 minutes.

5 min

While that's happening, remove 2 wide strips of zest from lemon with a vegetable peeler. Halve lemon and pick out seeds. Coarsely chop parsley.

5 min

Add clams and lemon zest to pot, squeeze in juice from a lemon half, cover pot, and cook until some clams start to open, 5-7 minutes. Toss and stir clams; use a slotted spoon to transfer any open ones to a medium bowl. Cover pot and cook until remaining clams open, checking sporadically and transferring them to bowl as they are done, 7-9 minutes; discard any clams that don't open. Add reserved seasoned beans to pot and stir to combine; loosen sauce with water if it looks too tight. Return clams to pot, add half of parsley, and toss well.

15 min

Add remaining parsley to bowl with reserved sliced fennel and squeeze remaining lemon half over. Season fennel-herb salad with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Drizzle with a very small amount of oil and toss again.

3 min

Serve clams topped with salad and toasted bread for dipping into sauce.

2 min