Made from the finest ingredients, Mussels in Tomato Sauce makes a perfect flavorful starter to a meal or appetizer. Pair the Mussels with pasta, seafood, salad, and a glass of wine for an ideal swanky meal, or serve it as a party appetizer to impress your seafood-loving guests.
There is a ton of flavor in this Mussels in Tomato Sauce recipe from start to finish the layers of olive oil, unsalted butter, shallots, garlic, crushed red pepper, San Marzano tomatoes, dry white wine, kosher salt, mussels, flat-leaf parsley, lemon wedges, and french bread to sop up the delectable juices from the Mussels in Tomato Sauce.
Mussels in Tomato Sauce is simple to make, classy recipe to serve tableside yet entirely economical for make for special occasions, Date nights, or even the holidays. Serve Mussels in Tomato Sauce over pasta to make a delicious meal, or serve it as a starter with crusty bread and your favorite wine.
Equipment Suggested
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Sharp kitchen knife
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Cutting Board
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Measuring spoons
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Measuring cup
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Dutch Oven or deep metal skillet
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Wooden Spoon
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Serving spoon
Components for Mussels in Tomato Sauce
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Extra-virgin olive oil– Choose quality olive oil. Look at the origin “Product of Italy” does not necessarily indicate that the olives are grown or pressed in Italy, only that it was packaged there. To be considered extra-virgin olive oil, an oil must be “cold” pressed at a temperature below 85˚F— extracted without heat or chemicals. A good bottle of extra-virgin olive oil will have a sell-by date (usually one year after it is pressed) on the label.
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Unsalted butter– Unsalted butter contains no added salt. It is butter in its purest form. Unsalted butter also has a fresher taste than salted butter. In terms of flavor, unsalted butter has more of a mellow sweetness than salted butter. It’s best used in baking,
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Shallot– The flavor of shallot is much more delicate, softer, and less abrasive than that of an onion. Shallots are alliums, in the same family as white, red, and yellow onions, along with leeks, scallions, and garlic. They tend to have a flavor that borders on sweet, acidic, spicy, and sharp all at the same time.
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Garlic– Gives a beautiful aromatic flavor to the mussels recipe. I recommend using freshly chopped cloves of garlic only. Do not substitute minced jarred garlic for the best flavor results.
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Crushed red pepper– Adds a little kick to the flavor of the mussels. Red Pepper is a common name used for all hot red peppers. Ground red pepper is a generic name that may have cayenne but will also include other red chilis as part of the mix.
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San Marzano tomatoes – True authentic San Marzanos are never sold chopped, diced, or pureed. They should also have the D.O.P. stamp to authenticate that they are genuinely from Italy. For best results, purchase in a carton or glass jar only.
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Dry white wine– Only use wine that you would drink. Do not use cooking wine. For this Mussels recipe, you want a wine with a high acidity known in wine parlance as “crisp.” Prime examples are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Sémillon.
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Kosher salt– Kosher salt has more comprehensive, more coarse grains than table salt. The wider grains salt food in a more subtle way than table salt. Using kosher salt enhances the flavor of foods instead of making them taste salty. Kosher salt has no iodine.
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Mussels- Mussels should have a wet appearance and smell like the salty ocean, fresh and clean. (If the mussels smell a little off, or appear to be open already, then you’re going to want to skip them.) Fresh mussels can be appropriately stored for about 48 hours before having to cook or freeze.
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Fresh flat-leaf parsley- Adding fresh parsley to the mussels recipe contributes a superior vibrancy to the dish and helps add a layer of flavor to the other ingredients. The parsley stems have more flavor and aroma than the leaves and can be used in the recipe if adequately chopped.
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Lemon wedges – Helps to brighten the mussels’ flavor and works well to counter many of the salty flavors. The salt and the acid balance each other while adding a delicious layer of flavor to the mussels.
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French bread- This is used for sopping up the delicious sauce of the Mussels in Tomato Sauce.
See the recipe card for Print options, exact ingredient amounts, instructions, and nutritional values.
Method for Mussels in Tomato Sauce
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Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and unsalted butter in a deep large metal skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high until butter melts, about 1-2 minutes. Add the finely chopped shallot cook, occasionally stirring until the shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the finely chopped garlic and the crushed red pepper; cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the San Marano tomatoes, dry white wine, and kosher salt; bring to a slight simmer.
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Add the clean and debearded mussels to the tomato sauce. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the mussels start to open – 3 to 5 minutes (Discard any mussels that do not open.) Stir in the flat-parsley. Lightly toss, and spoon into eight bowls. Top the mussels with the remaining reserved flat-leafed parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with toasted French bread.
Mussels in Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Dutch Oven or deep metal skillet
- Wooden Spoon
- Serving spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup shallot finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- 2 cups San Marzano tomatoes hand chopped
- 1 cup Dry white wine quality wine
- 4 pounds mussels fresh, scrubbed, and debearded
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley chopped, divided
- 2 lemons sliced into wedges
- 1 loaf French bread to serve
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and unsalted butter in a deep large metal skillet or Dutch Oven over medium-high until butter melts, about 1-2 minutes. Add the finely chopped shallot cook, occasionally stirring until the shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the finely chopped garlic and the crushed red pepper; cook for about 1-2 minutes. Add the San Marano tomatoes, dry white wine, and kosher salt; bring to a slight simmer.
- Add the clean and debearded mussels to the tomato sauce. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the mussels start to open - 3 to 5 minutes (Discard any mussels that do not open.) Stir in the flat-parsley. Lightly toss, and spoon into eight bowls. Top the mussels with the remaining reserved flat-leafed parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with toasted French bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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Looks like a great recipe, could you replace the canned tomatoes with fresh? My garden is overflowing!
Maria, hello, and thank you for asking! Absolutly!
Incredible recipe! My guests were WOWED! Thank you!
Thank you, Kelly!
Would I need to add anything to serve this over noodles? Broth or crushed tomatoes instead of chopped? Thanks for any help!
Add more tomatoes, olive oil, and wine or broth. Sorry for the delay.
My family loves mussels so I’m always looking for new simple delicious recipes and this one did not disappoint! It was so easy to make and was packed with so many amazing fresh flavours. Thanks for this, its amazing!
Thank you, Sabrina!
This was delicious! I recently discovered frozen mussels offered at the grocery store and this was the perfect recipe to use them! The frozen mussels came pre-cooked, so I simply defrosted 1/2 pound and added to the sauce once the sauce was cooked. No need to mess with the shells, and it was fantastic! I appreciate the recommendation to use San Marzano tomatoes. They made the dish even better! Thank you.
Thank you, Kim
Hi Heidy,
Mussel’s recipe is fantastic, but the recommended qty of kosher salt appears to have been left off the ingredients list. It doesn’t even say ‘to taste’ as red pepper flakes do.
I think I used roughly 3/4 tsp and adjusted to taste. Do you have any feedback or recommendation for readers?
Thx
Ken
Thank you for letting me know! Great catch!!!
I love mussels in wine, but these Mussels in Tomato Sauce were equally delicious and exciting. Such a lovely combo of flavors. Perfect light dinner.
Thank you, Natalie! I appreciate the feedback.
OMG! San Marzano tomatoes turned my world upside down! They bring the flavors up the roof. Thanks for your Mussels in Tomato Sauce recipe.
NAÏBY! Good morning and thank you!
Mussels are one of my favourite seafoods to eat – and in your version, they are truly complimented by the flavor of that amazing tomato sauce! This is the perfect dish to celebrate mussel season
KSENIA! Good morning! Thank you so much!
I Made these mussels for some friends and they were a hit! Have lots of crusty bread on hand for that delicious sauce.
BRIANNA! That’s so awesome to hear. Thank you.