Abundant, good value and ready in minutes, mussels are one of my favourite seafoods, but when it comes to preparing them, I rarely look farther than northern France.
Italians, of course, also eat mussels, and this tomato-rich recipe is a particular favourite in the south.
With its bold flavours and oily, garlicky sauce, it’s a great alternative to creamy Moules Marinières, and similarly needs no accompaniment, but a hunk of bread to make a meal.
INGREDIENTS Serves 2
2 garlic cloves
500g cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 pinch dried chilli flakes
1 pinch saffron
Salt
800g live mussels
2 tablespoon white wine
2 thick slices crusty bread
1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, to serve
METHOD
Tip the mussels into a large colander and give them a good rinse with cold water. Sort through them, discarding any with broken shells or that don’t close when given a sharp tap.
Finely chop one and a half cloves of garlic. Cut the tomatoes in half. Heat the oil on a medium flame in a saucepan large enough eventually to hold all the mussels, then fry the garlic and chilli, if using, until pale golden.
Stir in the tomatoes, saffron, if using, and a pinch of salt, then turn down the heat a little and cook until soft and pulpy.
Add the wine to the pan, turn up the heat, then tip in the mussels. Cover and leave to cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for five to eight minutes, until most of them have opened (discard any that do not).
Meanwhile, grill or toast the bread, then rub it with the remaining half-clove of raw garlic and drizzle with oil. Finely chop the parsley.
Divide the bread between serving bowls, then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the mussels and arrange on top (or serve the bread on the side). Bring the liquid back to a simmer, reduce slightly, taste for seasoning and ladle on top of the mussels. Sprinkle with parsley and devour immediately.
Original Recipe Felicity Cloak writing in the Guardian
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