Mejillones a la marinera | Mussels “fishermen” style
A sensational recipe for the underused mussels. Here in the UK people eat so little seafood in general and even less so, when it comes to shellfish like mussels and clams, yet we are such a large producer and exporter of them. They are delicious, healthy, it takes no time to cook them and they are so cheap! What is not to like… On this recipe I give you a few technique tips to enhance this classic fishermen style “marinera” sauce. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
1 kg (2.2lb) mussels
2 bay leaves
1 dried cayenne chilli
50ml (3tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
50ml (1/4 cup)white wine
1 tbsp flour
2 tomatoes, grated
4 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
250ml (1 cup) fish stock
Wash the mussels under cold running water and discard any broken ones. Remove the beards by pulling with the help of a pairing knife and scrape off any barnacles. Rinse them one last time before they get into the pot.
On a wide pot over high heat pour the extra virgin olive oil and add the onion and bay leaves. Fry for 8 minutes until it starts to turn golden. Add the garlic, chili and fry for a further 3 minutes before adding the tomatoes.
Bring down the heat to medium and reduce down the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and the paprika and let them toast for 1 minute stirring constantly. Pour the white wine. Stir vigorously to dissolve the flour and after a minute pour the fish stock in two halves while stirring to make sure the roux doesn’t split.
Add the mussels and the parsley and sauté to cover them with the sauce. Let them simmer for 4 minutes until all mussels have their shells open and it is ready to enjoy, salud!
