30 minutes
A vibrant Catalan-inspired dish featuring mussels with ripe tomatoes, green olives, and crunchy almonds.
Ripe Tomatoes, grated
0 lb
0.25 fluid ounces
Whole Raw Almonds, fried
0 oz
Red Onion, finely chopped
each
Garlic Clove, minced
each
cups
0.25 fluid ounces
tablespoons
teaspoons
Mussels, cleaned and debearded
0 lb
Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
cups
Crusty Bread
0 oz
1. Prepare Tomato Base
Grate the ripe tomatoes into a bowl using a box grater, capturing all their juicy goodness to form the base of your flavorful broth.
2. Fry Almonds
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the whole almonds. Fry them until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a paper towel–lined plate to cool and crisp up.
3. Sauté Onion and Garlic
With the same pot and remaining infused oil, sauté the finely chopped red onion and minced garlic over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Create Broth
Add the grated tomatoes, green olives, dry white wine, butter, and red pepper flakes to the pot. Stir everything together and bring to a rolling boil.
5. Steam Mussels
Introduce the cleaned mussels to the pot. Cover with a lid and steam for about 5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened.
6. Serve
Transfer the cooked mussels to a serving platter, pour over the aromatic broth, and sprinkle with fried almonds and fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up the broth.
Opt for fresh, live mussels. They should smell briny like the ocean, not fishy. Ensure that the mussels' shells are closed or close when tapped lightly. Discard any with broken shells or that remain open.
Mussels cook quickly — they are done when they open wide. Remove them promptly and discard any that do not open. Overcooking will result in rubbery meat.
When deglazing the pan, use a dry white wine that you’d enjoy drinking. This will not only dissolve the fond (those wonderful brown bits at the bottom of the pan) but also infuse complexity into the sauce. Allow the alcohol to cook off to avoid any harsh tastes.
Scrub the mussels well under cold water and remove the beards by pulling them towards the hinge of the shell. Soak them in cold water with a little flour or cornmeal for about 20 minutes before cooking. This helps to remove sand from the inside.
Optimize the use of garlic and shallots. Cook them slowly to coax out sweetness and develop umami before adding the tomato. Fresh herbs like parsley and thyme should be added towards the end to maintain their fresh, vibrant flavors.
Comments (0)