Steamed Mussels with Tomato and Basil

By norsegal8

Why this recipe works:For a steamed mussels recipe that was quick, flavorful, and grit-free, we began with rope-cultured and Great Eastern bottom mussels (a widely available variety), which we found to be the cleanest. Garlic in the broth balanced and enriched the flavor of the mussels. Simmering the broth for a few minutes before adding the mussels beefed up the flavor. When developing our steamed mussels recipe, we found that larger mussels need to cook a few minutes after they open to firm up, but that didn’t create any difficulty for us. It all evened out if we simply cooked them until all the mussels opened.

Ingredients

• This recipe is adapted from Jim Peterson’s Fish and Shellfish (Morrow, 1996). Serve these tomato-bathed mussels over one pound of cooked, drained cappellini.
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring wine, shallots, garlic, basil, and bay leaf to simmer in large pot; continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add mussels; cover and cook, stirring twice, until mussels open, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on pot and mussel size.

2. Remove mussels from liquid, twist off and discard top shells, and put in large serving bowl. Meanwhile, add chopped tomatoes and olive oil and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return mussels to reduced sauce. Serve.