This is a Sicilian mussel recipe, and is a little more elaborate than the Neapolitan version. To serve 4 you'll need:
Prep Time: 24 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 25 hours
Yield: 4 servings mussels
Ingredients:
- 3 1/3 pounds (1.5 k) mussels, washed and purged (see link to instructions below)
- 4 ounces (100 g) bread crumbs, barely toasted in a skillet
- 1/2 cup fresh tomato sauce seasoned with basil
- A mixture of freshly minced parsley and garlic (go easy on the garlic)
- Some dry white wine
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Freshly minced oregano
Preparation:
Set the tomato sauce to heat over a gentle flame.
Drain the purged mussels and heat them in a skillet, without adding further liquid, until they have opened. Fish them out, removing and discarding the upper half of the shell, and set them on an oven-proof dish. When you have finished removing the shellfish, strain the pot liquid and set it aside.
Spoon a little tomato sauce onto each mussel, then season them with the herb mixture, and, finally, dust them with the toasted bread crumbs. Season everything with salt and pepper, and put them into a preheated 400 f (200 C) oven for about 5 minutes. Remove them, season each with a little oregano and a drop of wine, bake them 5 minutes more, and they're done.
Note: if one of the shellfish fails to open upon being cooked, do not eat it! It was already dead when it went into the pot, and eating it could make you quite sick.
Drain the purged mussels and heat them in a skillet, without adding further liquid, until they have opened. Fish them out, removing and discarding the upper half of the shell, and set them on an oven-proof dish. When you have finished removing the shellfish, strain the pot liquid and set it aside.
Spoon a little tomato sauce onto each mussel, then season them with the herb mixture, and, finally, dust them with the toasted bread crumbs. Season everything with salt and pepper, and put them into a preheated 400 f (200 C) oven for about 5 minutes. Remove them, season each with a little oregano and a drop of wine, bake them 5 minutes more, and they're done.
Note: if one of the shellfish fails to open upon being cooked, do not eat it! It was already dead when it went into the pot, and eating it could make you quite sick.
