The pasta with mussels and pecorino might seem like an odd pairing, but I guarantee you’ll fall in love with it. Even though it’s said that fish and cheese don’t go well together, I assure you it’s a fantastic combination! The trick to perfect pasta with mussels and pecorino is balancing the saltiness of the mussels with that of the pecorino.
If you like mussels, don’t forget to also read the recipe
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 308.00 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.68 (g) of which sugars 0.82 (g)
- Proteins 21.29 (g)
- Fat 10.45 (g) of which saturated 4.62 (g)of which unsaturated 2.31 (g)
- Fibers 1.78 (g)
- Sodium 1,772.90 (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 2 people:
- 6 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, etc.)
- 7 oz mussels
- 1.5 oz Tuscan pecorino
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste chili pepper
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Tools:
- 1 Pot 3 quarts
- 1 Pan 10 inches
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Strainer (fine mesh)
- 1 Scrubber steel wool
Procedure
Here are the steps to follow to make a delicious pasta with mussels and pecorino, easy to make and with a delicious taste!
Clean the mussels well by removing external encrustations and any present seaweeds. If in doubt, follow my tips for cleaning the mussels perfectly.
Be careful, cleaning kills the mussels, so they must be cooked shortly afterward.
In a pan, place the crushed garlic, chili pepper, a tablespoon of oil, and the cleaned mussels.
Cook the mussels over high heat with the pan covered for 3-4 minutes. Open and check them; when they have all opened, you can turn off the heat.
Now that the mussels are cooked and open, remove the shell, keeping only the inner mollusk.
Put all the mollusks in a container and cover with the mussels’ liquid filtered with the strainer to remove impurities.
Cook the pasta in plenty of unsalted water for 4 minutes, it should soften, it doesn’t need to be completely cooked.
The risotto-style cooking is used for the spaghetti to absorb the taste of the mussels, evaporating almost completely.
When the pasta is softened, put it in a pan over the flame and add the liquid released by the mussels (not the mollusks).
Complete the cooking of the pasta, it will take about 10-12 minutes, add cooking water if necessary.
At the end of cooking, you will see that the pasta is wrapped in a creamy sauce created by the mussels’ liquid and the starch released by the pasta during cooking.
Add the mussels (mollusks) and sauté for a minute to mix and heat them.
Now that the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat and add the pecorino, mixing it with the cooking water. The pasta temperature shouldn’t be too high, or the cheese will string.
Your pasta with mussels and pecorino is ready!
Plating Tips:
Avoid adding parsley to the pasta with mussels and pecorino and serve the mussels without shells. If you wish, you can finish the dish with a sprinkle of Pecorino and a grind of pepper.
Wine Pairing for Pasta with Mussels and Pecorino:
I recommend a white wine with character that can enhance the strong flavors of this dish. For example, you can pair it with a Gavi or a classic Vermentino di Gallura.
