The mussels with fresh tomatoes is a delicious and easy-to-prepare dish that can be served as an appetizer or as a main course: the freshness of the tomatoes perfectly complements the bold flavor of the mussels, creating a unique and irresistible combination. The recipe for mussels with fresh tomatoes is very quick because, as we know, these shellfish need to be cooked for just a few minutes, otherwise, their flavor might be ruined; the only operation that takes a little more time is cleaning the mussels, which is quite tedious, but once you taste these mussels with tomato, you’ll agree it was worth it! The recipe for mussels with fresh tomatoes includes a base of garlic, oil, and chili pepper in which to open the mussels, which are then deglazed with a bit of white wine. At the very end, a few cherry tomatoes are added so that they are just slightly scalded and add flavor to the sauce. Mussels with fresh tomatoes is a dish that celebrates the simplicity of Mediterranean flavors and can also be a good sauce for seafood-flavored spaghetti!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 178.92 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 5.57 (g) of which sugars 2.17 (g)
- Proteins 8.03 (g)
- Fat 13.05 (g) of which saturated 2.13 (g)of which unsaturated 1.27 (g)
- Fibers 0.94 (g)
- Sodium 282.38 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Mussels with Tomatoes
The quantities are intended for an appetizer for 4 people or a main course for 2 people.
- 2.2 lbs mussels
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 10.6 oz Piccadilly tomatoes (or cherry or datterini)
- 1 chili pepper (optional)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Scrubber steel (for cleaning mussels)
- 1 Knife
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan large sauté pan with lid
How to Prepare Mussels with Fresh Tomatoes
To prepare mussels with fresh tomatoes, start by cleaning the mussels: if you’re not familiar with this operation, refer to this tutorial which will guide you step by step (1-4).
At this point, rinse them again and place them in a bowl (4). Wash the tomatoes and cut them into pieces (if using Piccadilly, remove the skin). In a large pan, pour the oil and add the chopped chili pepper and peeled garlic cloves (5).
With the heat off, add the mussels, spreading them well over the entire surface of the pan (6).
Turn the heat to medium and cover with a lid (7). From when the oil begins to sizzle, cook for 2-3 minutes, checking occasionally if the mussels are opening. Once they are open (8), raise the heat and deglaze with white wine (9).
Let it evaporate for about half a minute, then add the fresh tomato (10) and chopped parsley (11) and cook for a minute or two, so that it softens. Once the tomato has wilted, turn off the heat (12).
Serve the mussels with fresh tomatoes immediately, along with their sauce, garnished with freshly chopped parsley and accompanied, if you like, with some croutons.
Tips and Variations
If you don’t like spicy food, you can omit the chili pepper. If you decide to use the mussels with tomatoes to dress pasta – these quantities are sufficient for 400 g (14 oz) of spaghetti – cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, drain it very al dente, and finish cooking it in the pan so that it absorbs all the flavors of the sauce.
