Verdinas con marisco

Step 1: Check 14 oz fresh clams: throw away any with cracked shells and any open ones that don't close when tapped. Soak the rest in cold salted water for 1 hour so they spit out sand.

Step 2: Peel 10 ½ oz raw prawns, keeping the meat in the fridge. Fry the shells and heads in 1 tablespoon of 1 tbsp olive oil until pink, add 1.2 litres of water, simmer for 15 minutes, then strain.

Step 3: Warm the rest of 4 tbsp olive oil in a pot and cook 1 onion, 1 green pepper and 3 cloves garlic over a low heat for 10 minutes, until soft. Stir in ½ tsp sweet paprika.

Step 4: Add the drained 10 ½ oz dried verdina beans or flageolet beans, 1 bay leaf and enough prawn stock to cover by 2 cm. Simmer very gently, partly covered, for 50–60 minutes, topping up with stock, until tender and creamy. Verdinas cook faster than most beans, so start checking at 45 minutes.

Step 5: Season with 1 tsp salt. Add the drained clams, cover and cook for 3–4 minutes, until they open. Throw away any that stay shut.

Step 6: Add the prawns and simmer for 2 minutes more, until they turn pink and opaque all through. A common mistake is adding the prawns with the clams: they then overcook and toughen.

Step 7: Rest off the heat for 5 minutes, scatter with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and serve in shallow bowls.