Mussels And Spaghetti With White Wine
This mussels and spaghetti with white wine is the best way to enjoy a less than 30 minute seafood dinner at home. This recipe uses half shell frozen mussels which are cooked straight from the freezer with no thawing time. Simmered in a tomato and white wine sauce and served with lemon juice, red pepper flakes or fresh black pepper and fresh parsley. There are a few things in the world that can beat travel and food. You can book an expensive flight to see the world or you can let the world come to you. How you may ask? Through food, people, books and music. You can eat in any cuisine, in the comfort of your own home. Recipe serving: 4 to 6 people
Ingredients
- 500 Spaghetti, or pasta of your choice
- salt for cooking the spaghetti
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced, if the cloves are big use 2 to 3
- 400 grams canned tomato, 1 regular size can
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped and divided
- 800 grams half shell mussels
- 1 cup dry white wine, divided or as needed
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
To serve
- fresh lemon
- fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Get a large pot of water on to boil. When it boils, add the salt followed by the pasta. Cook according to packet instructions or until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.500 Spaghetti, or pasta of your choice, salt for cooking the spaghetti
- In a small bowl, add the tomato paste and 2 to 3 tablespoons of white wine. Make a paste or slightly thinner liquid is fine. Don't overthink it, just mix the two and set the bowl aside.2 tbsps tomato paste
- Make the tomato sauce: Meanwhile, on medium heat, get a large skillet or non-stick saucepan on and heat the olive oil. Cook the garlic for 1-2 minutes until a light golden brown but watch they don't burn. Add in the crushed tomatoes and pour a dash of wine into the now empty tomato container. Give it a swirl and pour that into the pan too. Mix.2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, 4 garlic cloves, sliced, if the cloves are big use 2 to 3, 400 grams canned tomato, 1 regular size can, 1 cup dry white wine, divided or as needed
- Seasoning: Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Give it all a mix.salt and pepper, 2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped and divided
- Cook the mussels: Add the mussels ensuring that they are all covered in the sauce.800 grams half shell mussels
- Take the flavor profile of the tomato and white wine up a notch: Now add the tomato paste and white wine combination from earlier into the sauce to help it gain flavor and thicken. This is how you do it: Add the tomato paste: By now you should have a bit more liquid in the pan (the mussels will release water). Increase the heat back to medium high. Move the mussels so you can create space to add the paste, then pour it in and gently fold the mussels over the sauce so it can distribute throughout the pan.2 tbsps tomato paste
- Simmer & Thicken: Leave the mussels on a medium high simmer for the sauce to thicken and the mussels to cook. If your sauce is too thick, you can add a little cold water or reserved pasta water at a time.Tip: Do not add a lot of water or any kind of liquid because you don't want the mussels to overcook or the sauce to be too thin. It's best to add just a dash, (like a ¼ cup) and the mussels should be cooked through in a 12 to 15 minute simmer.
- Add the Pasta: Now add the cooked spaghetti and combine.
- Serve: Chopped fresh parsley, fresh lemon zest and juice (if adding) and fresh black pepper.fresh lemon, fresh black pepper
Notes
How do you eat pasta and mussels?
Hold the half shell mussel in your one hand, use the fork in the other hand to gently lift the mussel up (so it's not sticking to the shell) and then hold the mussel in your mouth and 'slurp' it up :)! True story. And don't forget to dunk some crusty bread into the sauce!
Is it hard to cook mussels?
Mussels are super simple to cook whether they are frozen or fresh. If they are fresh, you pop them into a pot and wait for roughly 6 to 7 minutes for them to steam. They will steam and all open once ready. You don't need to add anything to mussels when cooking them, you can eat them plain. However, you can also add anything you want creating your own flavor profile. The reason you don't need to add water to mussels when cooking is because mussels have their own liquid in which they will successfully steam themselves!
In this recipe, you will notice the sauce increases once the mussels start cooking, they release their own water or broth but that's the taste of the ocean that you get in the sauce!
How to tell if mussels are fresh?
Fresh mussels will be closed and not open. If there's one or two open, it's okay but not the majority. If you press the mussel closed it should stay closed until cooked when they open.
Nutrition
Serving: 1personCalories: 592kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 24gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 425mgPotassium: 908mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 628IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 6mg
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