Mussels Alla Piastra with Prosciutto Bread Crumbs

By LaLaCooks

Mario Batali

The hotter the better for the piastra, so give it time to preheat—then the mussels will sizzle and jump and practically explode. (Even without the bread crumb mix, mussels cooked on the piastra are so good—toss them with the citrus and chile pepper before cooking, or just finish them with fresh lemon juice.) But if the grill and piastra are not super-hot, they will just steam in their own juices, and the result will not be nearly as good. Tossed with the mussels as they cook, the prosciutto bread crumbs become an interesting sticky mess that is simply delicious. Some of the crumbs will scorch and torch—and that’s good

Ingredients

• 4 pounds small mussels, such as Prince Edward Island (PEI), scrubbed and debearded
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
• 1 cup toasted bread crumbs
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch lemon thyme, leaves only
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from italiankitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

The hotter the better for the piastra, so give it time to preheat—then the mussels will sizzle and jump and practically explode. (Even without the bread crumb mix, mussels cooked on the piastra are so good—toss them with the citrus and chile pepper before cooking, or just finish them with fresh lemon juice.) But if the grill and piastra are not super-hot, they will just steam in their own juices, and the result will not be nearly as good. Tossed with the mussels as they cook, the prosciutto bread crumbs become an interesting sticky mess that is simply delicious. Some of the crumbs will scorch and torch—and that’s good.

Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Place the piastra on the grill to preheat for at least 15 minutes.

Put the mussels in a large metal bowl, add the orange and lemon zest and juice and the jalapeño, and toss gently. (If you don’t have a metal bowl, use an upside-down roasting pan to cover the mussels when you cook them.) Set aside.

Place the bread crumbs, prosciutto, lemon thyme, and scallions in a food processor and zap until well mixed, 6 or 7 pulses.

Pour the olive oil onto the

(if your piastra is not large enough, cook the mussels in two batches). Working quickly, dump the mussels (with everything else in the bowl) onto the piastra, scatter the bread crumb mixture over and around them, and cover with the inverted bowl. Remove the bowl after 2 minutes and gently stir the mussels around. Continue cooking, uncovered, for about 3 minutes longer, until they all open; transfer the mussels to a platter as they open (discard any that do not open). Scrape up any bread crumb mixture remaining on the piastra, scatter it over the mussels, and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings