Pasta With Mussel Sauce Recipes

MUSSELS PASTA IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add spaghetti noodles and cook until al dente (fully cooked but still firm), about 8-10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.
• In the meantime, heat oil in a shallow saucepan or large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until the hot oil is sizzling hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant and soft, 2-3 minutes.
• Add mussels and wine. Cover the lid and steam for 6-8 minutes until all shells are wide open. If you don't have a lid to cover, stir occasionally to help the mussels cook evenly.
• Reduce the heat to medium, and add in tomato sauce and cooked pasta. Toss well to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle parmesan and parsley on top and serve immediately.

PASTA WITH MUSSELS IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Pulse tomatoes with juices in food processor just a few times to break down into a coarse purée; set aside. Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta.
• Meanwhile, in a wide skillet or saucepan with lid, combine crushed garlic clove and shallot with white wine. Bring to a boil and add mussels. Cover and cook, shaking pan from time to time, 2 to 4 minutes, or until mussels open up. Check mussels after 2 minutes; transfer open mussels to a bowl using tongs. Cover pan again, wait another minute, and repeat until all mussels have opened.
• Leave mussels to cool in bowl until easily removed from shells. Remove half from shells and leave other half intact. Taste a mussel; if it is sandy, give them all a very quick rinse and drain in a colander. Transfer to a bowl and keep covered while you make tomato sauce.
• Place a strainer over another bowl, line with cheesecloth and strain the liquid in the pan into bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup. Rinse and dry pan.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in pan and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add tomatoes, thyme or marjoram (or both), and sugar.
• Turn heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring often, 5 to 10 minutes, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly. Add 1/2 cup broth from mussels, stir together and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt as needed (you may not need to add any). Tip all mussels, shelled and unshelled, into sauce, cover and turn heat to very low or remove from heat if not serving right away. Keep warm while you cook pasta.
• Warm a large bowl for the pasta. When water for pasta comes to a rolling boil, salt generously and add pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions on the package. Drain and toss in the warm bowl with tomato sauce, mussels and parsley. Serve right away.

MUSSELS AND PASTA WITH CREAMY WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook linguine at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.
• Place mussel meat in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Gently warm the mussels until they release their water, about 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
• Wipe out the skillet with paper towels. Melt remaining 3 teaspoons butter in the skillet. Cut any large mushrooms into smaller pieces. Add to the skillet and sprinkle with pepper. Cook until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour wine into the skillet, add red pepper flakes, and cook until wine has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in cream and add mussels. Heat until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Use tongs to lift linguine out of the pot and add to the skillet with some of the cooking water. Toss to coat with sauce. Plate and garnish with lemon zest.

PASTA WITH MUSSELS AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Butterfly the shrimp: Peel the shrimp, then cut along the curved side with a small sharp knife, about three-quarters of the way through. Devein the shrimp and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and cook until reduced, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Add the mussels to the tomato sauce, cover and cook until they just begin to open, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the mussels have opened fully, 2 to 4 more minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.)
• Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat, stirring in enough of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce. Divide among bowls; top with the parsley and celery leaves.

MUSSELS IN SPICY RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.
• Add the mussels and replace the lid. Cook over high heat 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once gently. Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and firmly cooked, about 4 minutes more.
• Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl with a Chinese wire mesh skimmer. Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high. Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
• Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and place your (clean) hands in the bowl and crush the tomatoes so they breakup into a range of small pieces.
• In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat until it is fragrant, but before it smokes, about 40 seconds. Add the bay leaves and stir them in the oil until they begin to brown, about 10 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the onions, carrots, and oregano. Cook the vegetables until they are very brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, just enough to prevent them from scorching.
• Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, salt and pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water, (white wine or clam juice can be added depending on the intended use) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered until the sauce level has reduced by 2 or 3 inches and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cook the sauce for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
• Remove from heat, cool down in the pot, then when at room temperature, transfer to a sealed plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
• This sauce will keep 10 days in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Using my recipe for basic Red Sauce, you can make a quick and spicy "fra diavolo" sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled squid and other seafood. For equipment you will need a 3-quart saucepan and a wooden spoon.
• Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan slightly over medium heat and saute the garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 40 seconds.
• Add the Red Sauce, clam juice, and salt, to taste, and simmer, stirring occasionally over medium-low heat, until the sauce returns to the thickness and quantity of the Red Sauce, about 15 minutes.

SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS, LEMON, AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups pasta water.
• Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat; saute shallots, red-pepper flakes, and parsley stems until tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid is reduced by one-third, about 2 minutes. Add mussels, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam until they open, 5 to 6 minutes; discard any that do not open after 6 minutes.
• Add pasta to mussels, tossing until well combined. Add pasta water, and continue to toss and cook over medium-high heat until sauce has reduced and coats pasta. Stir in parsley leaves and lemon zest and juice. Stir in remaining oil, and serve immediately.

MUSSELS WITH WHITE WINE AND PASTA

Steps:

• Scrub the mussels. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop the parsley.
• Heat half the butter with the oil, then add the garlic and mussels.
• Pour in the wine, season, cover and cook over a high heat until the mussels open.
• Drain the mussels, keeping the cooking liquid. Remove the mussels from the shells, and discard the shells and any that haven't opened.
• Heat the remaining butter in a pan, and add the mussel juices and the cream.
• Cook gently to reduce to a rich, creamy consistency. Then add the mussels and parsley.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente, then drain and add to the sauce. Toss together over a low heat and serve.