Ingredients:
1 kg fresh mussels,
3 tbsp. EV olive oil,
1 small yellow onion, chopped,
3 garlic cloves, chopped,
1 1/2 cup tomato passata,
1 cup diced canned tomato,
salt and pepper to taste,
1 teaspoon sugar,
1 tbsp. butter
Recipe:
Start by buying a kilo of fresh mussels. Make sure you check both, the harvest date and the best before date of your mussels. What I do after I get home is fill a saucepan with clean cold water, add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to it and let the mussels stay in the water for about 10 minutes. This re-invigorates the mussels and lets them get rid of any impurities within their shells, such as sand, mud, etc. If any mussel is open, tap on it and if it doesn’t close, discard it. If your mussels are fresh all of them should be alive, and closing fast when tapped.
1. Pour the rinced mussels in a colander and let them drain properly while yo are sauteeing the onion and garlic in the olive oil.
2. Add the mussels in the hot frying pan and saute for 4 minutes or until all of the mussels are open. Stir frequently.
3. Add the tomato passata, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook at high temperature for 5 minutes. Add the butter and sugar and cook for a couple of minutes more.
This mussles marinara recipe is very easy and extremely delicious. I find that by not using any herbs and not even white wine for cooking the mussels really reveals the subtle flavours of this amazing seafood.
Cooking tip: Make sure that you start sauteeing the mussels in a very hot heavy frying pan. That’s the only way to seal all the juices and enjoy the flavor that I’m describing. And, as I said above, don’t use any herbs and white wine that may disguise the flavor of the mussels. Enjoy.