Mussels à la Marseillaise

Name: Mussels à la Marseillaise
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer
Ingredients: 2 lbs (900 g) fresh or frozen mussels, cleaned and purged (see Note below); 3 cloves of garlic; 1 small onion; 1 bay leaf; 2 thyme sprigs; 2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs for garnish; 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine; 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped; 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped; salt and pepper; breadcrumbs; 1 cup (28 g) flat-leaf parsley; 6 garlic cloves; salt and pepper to taste; extra virgin olive oil; white vinegar or lemon juice or to taste; Note: Most mussels you buy nowadays are already purged. All you might want to do is cleaning the shells a bit. If you happen to buy fresh mussels you should purge them first as a precaution, just to make sure that to get any sand out of their digestive tracks. It’s an easy procedure – you find it here .; If you decide to use fresh mussels, place them in a saucepan with a tight lid. Add 1 clove of garlic, 1 small onion, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs and 1 cup of dry white wine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When the liquid starts to boil, shake the saucepan now and then, holding the lid tight. This should distribute the liquid evenly amongst the mussels. After about 5 minutes mussel shells should be open. If not enough mussels have opened, cook them a little bit longer. Discard the unopened ones. Pour mussels into a colander and save the liquid. Filter the liquid through a cheesecloth and set aside. Reserve about 1 cup of the mussels liquid for the tomato sauce. Let the mussels cool down a bit. Discard one half of the shell and keep the mussel meat nestled in the remaining half. Set aside.

Seafood

Mussels and Clams

Serves 4
Ready in 30 min

Moules à la Marseillaise, a traditional Provençal recipe from Marseille. Marseillaise dishes are rich in tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olive oil, a result of the Italian and Spanish immigration in the South of France. This seafood dish is no exception. Plan for 4 – 6 half shells per person, depending on the mussel’s size. Larger ones will be easier to stuff. If you can’t get fresh ones, use frozen green-lipped New Zealand mussels. All you need to do is to thaw them before using. They are a big time saver.

Ingredients

Mussels
2 lbs (900 g) preferably large, fresh or frozen mussels, cleaned and purged (see Note below)
1 large garlic clove left whole
1 medium size shallot, peeled and left whole
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
2 Italian parsley sprigs
1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
Marinara Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil a + extra for drizzling mussels stuffing
1 medium onion (about 100 g) finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups (about 400 g) chopped fresh tomatoes, canned ones are fine too
1/4 cup (7 g) Italian parsley, finely minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup (75 g) breadcrumbs or as needed
Lemon juice to taste (optional)

Preparation

If you decide to use fresh mussels, place them in a saucepan with a tight lid. Add the garlic, 1 small onion, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs and 1 cup of dry white wine. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. When the liquid starts to boil, shake the saucepan now and then, holding the lid tight. This should distribute the liquid evenly amongst the mussels. After about 5 minutes mussel shells should be open. If not enough mussels have opened, cook them a little bit longer. Discard the unopened ones. Pour mussels into a colander and save the liquid. Filter the liquid through a cheesecloth or coffee filter and set aside. Reserve about 1 cup of the mussels liquid for the tomato sauce. Let the mussels cool down a bit. Discard one half of the shell and keep the mussel meat nestled in the remaining half. Set aside.

Warm 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and the reserved mussels liquid. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until tomatoes begin to fall apart and the sauce has thickened. Taste for seasoning.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange mussels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon enough tomato sauce to cover the mussel meat on each half shell. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and drizzle some olive oil over it. Place in oven and bake 15 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble. Serve right away or at room temperature.

Notes

Most mussels you buy nowadays are already purged. All you might want to do is cleaning the shells a bit. If you happen to buy fresh mussels you should purge them first as a precaution, just to make sure that to get any sand out of their digestive tracks. It’s an easy procedure – you find it here.