Baked mussels Italian style 10 April 2006

According to Carluccio: “This recipe is popular in many parts of Italy, and it is very easy to prepare. It can also be served as a main course: simply increase the quantity of mussels. And because you are cooking with olive oil, the mussels can be eaten hot or cold.”

That was enough to set off the warning signal: try new recipe! try new recipe! We had just bought a whole kilo of some really fresh mussels (locally known as tahong) at 30 pesos (that’s roughly 50 US cents!) and wanted to try something new.

While the entire recipe comes out pretty cheaply, it takes some patience to clean and prepare the mussels.

This recipe is by Carluccio, which we modified somewhat, surely didn’t disappoint. The mussels came out really tasty and juicy. The breadcrumbs provide a nice crunch to it. It was a finger-licking good experience and we finished eating in record time!

Good for 3! Click on for the recipe!

You need:
Fresh mussels, 1 kilo
Garlic, 1 clove, finely chopped
Fresh flatleaf parsley, 1 handful, finely chopped or grated
Breadcrumbs from stale bread, 1 handful
Olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste

Pretty simple:

1. Prepare the mussels. Wash the mussels under running tap water. Throw away any that are gaping or half open, or that float. Remove also the beards, as this can be tough and quite annoying to eat. Microwave the mussels (this is faster and much, much easier, obviously). Alternately, you could put the mussels in a lidded saucepan with about 5 oz of water, cover and bring to the boil. The steam should open up the mussels in a few minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 deg C (gasmark 7)
3. Take off the top half of each shell. Arrange the shells in a baking pan. Loosen the mussels and remove any beards you may have missed.
4. Mix your garlic and parsley together. Sprinkle this mixture onto your mussels, followed by the breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour a few drops of olive oil on each mussels.
5. Place your pan in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Serve either hot or cold.

Really, truly yummy …