As easy as they are impressive, these tomato garlic mussels are perfect for your next dinner party.
Something a little less traditional, but very delicious for your Christmas table this year. A large pot of tomatoey, garlicky mussels ready for dipping with crusty bread, and accompanied with chilled red wine (a personal favourite). Or just regular red wine if you’re in the northern hemisphere and it’s not 30-35ºC on the 25th of December like it is here.
In my humble opinion, a pot of mussels is just a little bit fancy you know? And a guaranteed winner for any of your seafood-loving guests. It also gives off the illusion that you spent a long time in the kitchen, when in reality this dish can be on your table in less than 30 minutes! I know I say this often, but this recipe is eeeassssy. Easy enough that you can sip a glass of wine (or something stronger) during the cooking process and still come out with a perfect result. Exactly what you want/need on Christmas Day 🙂
The mussels steam gently (and quickly) in a tasty broth, ready for dipping with your bread. Any leftover sauce can be enjoyed with pasta the following day and provides almost the same level of enjoyment as eating the mussles did. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Andrea 🍷
Garlic Tomato Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 kg mussels cleaned and prepared as necessary
- 1 x 800g crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley chopped
- Toasted sourdough or ciabatta for serving
Instructions
- Place a large pot over medium to high heat. Melt butter and olive oil. Add shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add garlic and oregano and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in white wine and simmer for a few minutes before adding tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and black pepper. If quite tangy, add a teaspoon of sugar. Allow sauce to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Tumble in your mussles and stir with a large spoon so they are coated in the sauce. Cover pot with a lid and leave to steam for five minutes, shaking the pot a few times in between.
- When you remove the lid, mussel shells will have sprung open! Sprinkle with parsley and take to the table straight away. Serve with warm, toasted bread.
Notes
- For a main meal, I recommend one kilogram of mussels per person, however if you’re serving this dish as an entree, two kilograms will be enough for a group of 4-6 to enjoy.
Need more recipe ideas perfect for entertaining? Try my prawn cocktail, enjoyed with a festive cinnamon old fashioned.
