Mussels Marinara or Fra Diavolo
You'll love this authentic recipe. Wonderful over pasta or with a crusty loaf of bread for dipping!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 - 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup dry crisp white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio
- 28 ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand
- pinch of sea salt and a few cracks of black pepper
- about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes if you'd like Fra Diavolo
- 4 pounds mussels I use Prince Edward Island Mussels
- 1/2 bunch of fresh parsley
- 1 baguette warmed, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic for about 2 minutes, being careful not to brown it. Add the wine and bring the heat up to high. Bring the wine to a boil and simmer for another two minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the tomatoes (I crush the whole tomatoes out of the can by hand, removing any hard stem end and discarding those. Then, pour the remaining sauce from the can into the pot as well). Add the salt and the peppers.
- Once the sauce is at a light simmer, add the mussels, give them a stir, raise the heat to medium and cover the pot. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until all of the mussels have opened, then stir in the parsley.
- Serve with the warm baguette or over pasta, if desired.
Notes
There are a lot of different methods people use to clean their mussels. I know. I've tried them all! There's soaking them in water with cornstarch, cornmeal or flour. Honestly, I haven't noticed any of those methods working much better than just soaking them in a large bowl for about 15 to 20 minutes in cold water and a little bit of sea salt. That's what I do. A lot of the mussels in the stores now are "rope cultured," so they are pretty clean. If you've got a method that works well, let me know. Click on "Leave a reply" below. I'd love to hear from you!