Italian Steamed Mussels Recipes

MUSSELS ITALIANO

Steps:

• When you bring your mussels home from the market, discard any that are chipped, broken or otherwise damaged; discard any mussel that is open.
• If you are not using right away, cover with damp paper towels in a container that can be tightly closed and store in the refrigerator.
• Just before cooking, wash the mussels in several changes of cold water.
• Using a small knife or a dry towel, remove the beards by pulling out towards the hinged side of the mussel.
• To remove any remaining sand, soak mussels for about 30 minutes in cold water containing a handful of salt and a handful of flour.
• Take each mussel from the bowl and using a firm brush, remove any barnacles before placing into another bowl of clear water.
• Melt butter in a medium sized pot; saute onions til clear.
• Add garlic& stir for another minute.
• Add tomato, oregano, salt& pepper and cook until tomato is soft.
• Add wine& bring to a slow boil.
• Dry the mussels with a clean towel, place into pot, cover & steam for 4 minutes; remove the lid & stir the mussels.
• At this point, most of the mussels should be open; replace the lid and steam for another 2 - 4 minutes.
• Discard any that don't open.
• Divide into serving bowls& cover with broth.
• If you increase the serving size for this recipe, don't add too many mussels to the pot at once or stack them on top of each other as it will make it difficult for the mussels to open due to the weight.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sweat the shallots until translucent and without any color, 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer before adding the mussels. Cover tightly with a lid and steam until the mussels open, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mussels from the pot to avoid over-cooking, and discard any that do not open. Serve alongside the cooking liquid.

STEAMED MUSSELS TRIESTE STYLE (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Add 6 tablespoons olive oil to a saucepan; drop in the crushed garlic, and set over medium heat; when the garlic is fragrant and sizzling, stir in the onion slices, bay leaves, salt, and pepper flakes.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, tossing and stirring, just until the onions begin to wilt but still have some crunch.
• Pour in the wine, and bring to a boil; immediately dump all the mussels into the pan, tumble them over quickly; cover tightly, and turn the heat up to high.
• Steam the mussels for 3 minutes, frequently shaking the covered pan, then toss them over, with a wire spider or wide slotted spoon.
• If the mussel shells have already opened (or almost all are open), leave the pan uncovered--otherwise, replace the cover and steam a bit longer.
• As soon as the mussels have steamed open, sprinkle 1/4 cup bread crumbs all over the pan; quickly tumble the mussels over and over, still on high heat, so their liquor and the crumbs fall into the bubbling pan juices and create a sauce( if the pan sauce is still thin after a minute of bubbling, sprinkle in more bread crumbs).
• Finally, drizzle 2 more tablespoons oil and sprinkle the chopped parsley on top, and toss briefly to distribute the seasonings.
• Turn off the heat, set the pan in the center of the table, and let people scoop mussels and sauce into their own warm soup bowls (and remember to put out extra bowls for the shells).
• Serve with good crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.

PORTUGUESE-STYLE STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a large (6 quart) casserole or soup pot over medium-high heat, combine olive oil and bay leaves. Heat for 1 minute, then add garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Saute vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sausage and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add mussels. Cover and steam until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Remove mussels to serving bowls. Return pot to medium heat, and add parsley, cilantro and black pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over mussels, and serve immediately.

STEAMED MUSSELS II

Steps:

• In a medium stock pot, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent.
• Pour in wine and mussels. Raise heat to medium/high and steam mussels until shells open, about 5 minutes.
• Pour mussels and cooking liquid into a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

THAI STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, combine the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and curry paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes then add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels are opened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Pour mussels and liquid into a serving dish and toss with cilantro.

MUSSELS WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Place the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the shallots are translucent but still have a bit of crunch, about 3 minutes.
• Add the sausage to the pan and cook, stirring to crumble it, for 5 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Add the wine and rosemary and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, add the mussels, cover the pan, and steam until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle the parsley and bread crumbs over all. Divide the mussels among six bowls and ladle the broth and sausage over them. Serve with crusty bread.

SPICY STEAMED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC BREAD

Steps:

• Brush 1 teaspoon oil onto each slice of bread. Toast until brown and crisp. Rub both sides (one side if using baguette) with whole garlic. Cut bread in half on the diagonal. Heat remaining 2 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sliced garlic, scallions and salt, stirring occasionally, until scallions and garlic color slightly, about 5 minutes. Add mussels, tomato puree, wine and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until mussels open, 1 to 2 minutes. (Discard any mussels that don't open.) Uncover pan and add herbs; toss to combine. Divide mussels evenly among 4 bowls and spoon broth over them. Serve each with toast.