Grandma’s peppered mussels recipe (pepata di cozze). Peppered mussels are a traditional Neapolitan dish, like the casatiello, the pastiera, the sfogliatelle ricce and sfogliatella frolla, now known and prepared around the world — I even had them in Normandy, a region of France renowned for mussels and oysters. Some call them pepata di cozza, others impepata di cozze, but it doesn’t matter: however you call it, this dish is as simple and quick as it is tasty! Peppered mussels are either an appetizer or a fish main course, very easy to prepare, fast, and above all flavorful — perfect for a seafood menu. Some prepare the impepata with only mussels and pepper, others also add olive oil, garlic and parsley, some enjoy it with lemon, and some even a little tomato. I love them any way, but today I will tell you my grandmother’s recipe for peppered mussels — richer and surely delicious!

Are you ready to discover how to make Neapolitan peppered mussels? Let’s go to the kitchen, but first remember that to stay updated with my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

2 lb 3 oz Mussels
1 clove Garlic
to taste Parsley
to taste Extra virgin olive oil
to taste Lemons (optional)
to taste Black pepper

Tools

Preparation

To make peppered mussels, start by cleaning the mussels. Unfortunately I can’t show step-by-step photos because they were given to me already cleaned, but I can clearly explain how to do it.
First, discard any mussels that are open or cracked. Then, with a sharp upward pull, remove and discard the byssus — the little beard that holds them together.
Using a small knife, remove barnacle growths or similar encrustations, then scrub all impurities off with a new stainless-steel scrub pad.
Alternatively, after removing the beard and barnacles, rub them with coarse salt.
Rinse everything very well under running water and let drain.
Once cleaned, proceed to cook: in a large pan, gently heat the garlic and parsley without burning them, then add the mussels and the juice of one lemon. Cover the pan with its lid and cook over medium heat until they open.
As soon as they have all opened, turn off the heat, add plenty of extra virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
Toss to combine and serve hot with a few lemon slices so those who like it can add more.
Serve immediately. I do not recommend cooking them in advance; once cleaned, store them in the fridge for no more than 4 hours to avoid them dying before cooking.
– Easy and quick anchovy meatballs;
– Sardine meatballs with balsamic vinegar;
– Easy and quick shrimp meatballs.