MUSSELS COOKED IN TOMATO SAUCE
TIPS FOR PERFECT MUSSELS, FRESH VS FROZEN: Always buy your mussels fresh; frozen mussels have a mealy texture. Make sure the mussel shells are firmly closed. If they are open a little, give them a firm tap against the side of the sink or the counter. If they close, you can eat them. If not, discard them.
Before cooking, scrub the mussels under cold running water. Grab their beards and tug at them to remove them. Put all the clean mussels in a bowl and put them back in the fridge while you prepare the sauce.
Mussels have a lot of liquid inside of them, so even if your recipe doesn't have much liquid to begin with, once the mussels cook and open up, they will release their liquid into the pot, and there will be lots of delicious broth for sopping up with a good piece of bread.
RATING
SERVES
1
PREP TIME
15 min
COOK TIME
40 min
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
- 2 cups drained canned tomatoes in thick puree chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
- 4 pounds mussels scrubbed and debearded
- Couple of pieces of toast if desired
Instructions
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In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, tomatoes, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Discard any mussels with broken shells or that don't clamp shut when tapped. Add the mussels to the pot. Cover; bring to a boil. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, just until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Remove the open mussels. Continue to boil, uncovering the pot as necessary to remove the mussels as soon as their shells open. Discard any that do not open.
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Stir the black pepper into the broth. Taste the broth and, if needed, add salt. Ladle the broth over the mussels and serve with a piece of thick sourdough or whole-grain country toasted bread, if desired.
Want to learn more easy, healthy Mediterranean diet recipes? Sign up for my online course “Mastering the Mediterranean!“
Want to learn more easy, healthy Mediterranean diet recipes? Sign up for my online course “Mastering the Mediterranean!“
