Prep Time 5 minutes - Total Time 15 minutes - Serves 2
Mussels are cheap to buy, easy to prepare and make for the perfect lunchtime snack, a great starter or as a main meal. And they lend themselves so well to so many different flavour combinations like in a cider cream sauce , a spicy Thai broth or like in this recipe a spicy tomato sauce.
Just give me a huge bowl of mussels with some crusty bread and I’m yours.
But remember like when buying meat, you should always try and buy the best quality you can and always try to buy local and from an independent supplier.
(You will also find this recipe on page 52 of my book Richard’s Family Favourites click here)
Ingredients
1 kg of live mussels, scrubbed and bearded.
1 red chilli, roughly sliced.
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced.
1 onion, finely diced.
70 g of diced pancetta.
1 handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped.
70 ml of white wine.
30 ml of double cream, optional.
200 g of tomato Sauce or passata.
Method
In a frying pan over a medium add a splash of olive oil. Add the chillies, onions, garlic and pancetta and cook till the veg starts to go soft, around 5 minutes.
Now turn the heat right up and throw in the mussels along with the wine. Stick a lid on and give it a good shake and cook for around 5-6 minutes.
When the mussels have opened (throw away any unopened mussels) add the tomato sauce and cream, give it a good mix and cook for a further couple of minutes so the sauce gets hot, then you are ready to eat.
Once done sprinkle with the parsley and enjoy with some crusty bread for mopping up the beautiful sauce and serve.
**Important Cleaning Tips**
Please be careful when cooking with raw mussels, they MUST be alive at the time of cooking. Place the mussels in a colander and give them a good wash under cold running water. Use the back of a knife to scrape off any barnacles, give them a scrub if need be, and pull the mussels beards off. Once cleaned check the mussels are all closed. If any are open give them a tap on the shell and if they close they are alive. If they stay open, throw it in the bin as it’s dead and you don’t want to eat one.
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