Easy Mussels Cooked in Greek Saffron-Pepper-Tomato Sauce
Mussels are a classic Greek meze, super easy to cook, and a very popular seafood component of the Mediterranean diet. Did you know that mussels have been farmed in Greece since ancient times? There are a few varieties of Greek mussels, mostly cultivated off the coasts of Northern Greece, and typically a little slimmer and smaller than mussels from New Zealand and the Atlantic. In this Greek recipe for mussels, I marry these tasty bivalves with krokos Kozanis, aka Greek saffron.
RATING
SERVES
6
PREP TIME
10 min
COOK TIME
15 min
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin Greek olive oil
- 1 cup sliced shallots
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 3/4 cup dry Greek rosé wine
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes in juice
- 2 tablespoons spicy piperoktima or any red pepper paste
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Greek Krokos Kozanis saffron threads,
- 3 dozen mussels scrubbed, debearded
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
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Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, tomatoes with juice, pepper sauce, paprika, and saffron; sprinkle with salt and generous amount of pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer for 3 minutes to blend flavors.
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Add mussels and half of parsley; cover and cook until mussels open, about 3 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open).
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Stir in remaining parsley. Divide mussels and juices among bowls and serve.
