Panzanella with Mussels originated, like many of my other recipes, from the need to clean out the refrigerator of leftovers. Since nothing should be wasted in the kitchen, I thought of adding the leftover mussels from the previous night’s sauté and Gaeta olives to the classic Roman recipe. Great idea, don’t you think? As for the stale bread, I always have a supply because whenever I have some leftover, I let it dry completely in a glass jar.
Today’s version is special because I used Walnut Bread that I made last week…I love it.
To speed up the preparation of this recipe, you can opt for frozen mussels without shells: one package will be sufficient.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 8 San Marzano Red Tomatoes
- 5.3 oz Stale Bread
- 2.2 lbs mussels
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 red onion, preferably Tropea
- 30 pitted Gaeta olives
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 2 sprigs basil
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste white wine vinegar
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
How to prepare Panzanella with Mussels
To prepare Panzanella with Mussels, organize your workspace with all the ingredients already measured, so you have everything at hand.
Clean the mussels and let them open by cooking them in a tall pot with 1 clove of garlic.
Turn off the heat, let them cool, shell them, and store them in the fridge, covered with their cooking liquid to prevent them from drying out.
In a large bowl, place the cucumber, chopped tomatoes, finely sliced red onion, and pitted Gaeta olives.
Season with oregano, chopped basil, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and mix well so that all the ingredients are evenly flavored.
Adjust the salt, but only after tasting the mussels, as you might risk over-salting everything.
Break the stale bread into pieces to your preferred size and soak it with a glass of water.
Let it soften for a few minutes, then add it to the dressing, squeezing it a bit.
Mix, and before serving, leave it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Serve the Panzanella with Mussels in a large salad bowl or portioned … the important thing is that it is cold.
Notes
Tips and variations:
If you don’t like mussels, you can also dress your panzanella with clams, cuttlefish, shrimp…with whatever you prefer.
You can store it in the fridge for at least two days, but I recommend adding the bread only at the last moment; otherwise, it might completely disintegrate.
Love mussels? Then don’t miss the next recipe: Crostini with Mussels and Tomato
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