Stuffed Mussels in Messina-Style Sauce.
This is a typical dish from my city, Messina.
I say typical because it’s the only recipe where mussels are tied with thread and cooked immersed in sauce, and then untied before serving.
In Messina, there is a significant production of seafood, which is cultivated in Lago Piccolo di Torre Faro.

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Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Very Cheap
Rest time: 10 Minutes
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Slow Cooking, Stove
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Sicily
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring, Summer

602.87 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 602.87 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 76.24 (g) of which sugars 5.47 (g)
Proteins 26.86 (g)
Fat 22.44 (g) of which saturated 6.46 (g)of which unsaturated 4.37 (g)
Fibers 7.00 (g)
Sodium 2,027.93 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 330 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

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14 oz Breadcrumbs
3.5 oz Pecorino Romano (grated)
1 clove Garlic (minced)
1 bunch Parsley
1 cup cup tomato puree
to taste salt
3.5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1.8 oz onion
1 quart quart tomato puree
to taste basil
3.3 lbs mussels
to taste pepper

Tools

What we need to make the

Kitchen twine cotton
Frying pan
Pot shallow and wide
Knife pointed

Preparation of Stuffed Mussels in Messina-Style Sauce

Let’s go to the kitchen

Start preparing the filling: in a bowl, put the breadcrumbs, Pecorino, 1 finely minced garlic clove, a bunch of parsley also minced, salt, and pepper to your taste.
Mix everything, then add the tomato puree and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Now wash the mussels very well, remove the beard, and with the tip of a knife, cut the nerve.
Open the shells as if you were going to eat them raw.
Leave the flesh open in half.
Fill each mussel with the stuffing,
and close the shell with your fingers.
Press well, and then with your fingertip, remove any excess filling that might come out.
Then wrap kitchen twine around each mussel to close it.
Here are all the tied mussels.
Now let’s prepare a classic tomato sauce.
Slice an onion.
Put it in a pot to sauté for a few minutes in extra virgin olive oil,
Then add the tomato puree. Adjust with salt, pepper, and basil, and let it cook for 15 minutes over low heat with a splatter guard on top.
After the time has passed,
Immerse the mussels in the sauce, and let them cook for another 10 minutes.
When serving, untie the twine and serve hot –
Here are the Stuffed Mussels in Messina-Style Sauce ready