I started religiously making mussels when I moved to Seattle. I walk to East Anchor Seafood, by my house, to grab them fresh ~once a week. While living in the PNW makes seafood more accessible, any good fish market will have mussels. The great Melissa Clark sold me on their environmentally friendly factor, although I usually add chorizo to them. Mussels are loaded with health benefits. They’re also inexpensive because they’re bottom feeders, i.e., eat of of algae and require no feed.

I love two things about mussels: 1) the garlicy broth and 2) how fancy they feel, despite being ridiculously easy and affordable to make. Mussels make a great easy weeknight dinner, but have also consistently been an impressive first course for a dinner party. Actually… I really think you should make these as an appetizer at your next dinner party.

Below I’ve outlined the methodology for making mussels that I follow. Because this is a methodology, you can add, subtract, increase, decrease things depending on your taste preferences. Like many things, mussels are forgiving, so embrace your creative side and don’t feel like you have to follow this to a T. Just don’t overcook them (more on this below). This recipe makes a very broth-y, almost soupy, mussel dish, because that’s my preference (with a crispy slice of focaccia). Decrease the liquid and garlic amounts if you want less.

Serves ~4

**The serving size is for a “good” appetizer serving. I’d increase this by at least 50% (depending on what you’re serving it with) if it’s acting as a main course.

STEP 1

If you’re storing mussels, put them in a glass bowl with a cool, damp towel over them. They will hold for ~1-2 days, but periodically check on the towel, and change it out if it’s leaking water (also drain any water that collects at the bottom of the bowl). Don’t store mussels in water or a sealed container because they will die. You can store them in ice in the fridge, but you must have a way for the melted ice to drain so the mussels don’t submerge. Here’s an article that breaks this down with some visuals and extra details.

When you’re ~30 minutes from cooking, rinse off and scrub the mussels and discard any that have opened. Then, soak mussels in cold water for ~20 minutes to help get rid of any other sand. Here’s another article that outlines this step.

STEP 2

Mince your garlic and dice up dat’ chorizo. Get your Dutch oven (or whatever you want to cook these things in- a sauté pan will be just fine) on the burner and pre-heat it at ~medium heat. Add enough olive oil to fry up how ever much chorizo bites you cut. Let the oil heat before throwing those chorizo babies in there.

Step 3

When the oil is heated up, fry up the chorizo (I mean fry it), this should take a few minutes max. Make sure the heat is appropriate, so that the garlic doesn’t burn and throw her in. Sauté the garlic and give it a stir. Then add your tomato paste and let it caramelize (for a few minutes). Next, deglaze the pan with the white wine. Let this simmer for a minute and then add the chicken stock. S&P (salt and pepper) based on taste. Add whatever other flavoring that you want, e.g., hot pepper flakes, I’ve done saffron, get creative. Get it to a nice boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, depending on your oven.

Step 4

Next, add the mussels, throw them in, cover your pan, and let those things steam. The brothy stuff should be at a nice simmer. It should take no more than a few minutes for the mussels to cook (maybe ~5ish tops, again depending on heat). When they’ve opened, they are done. Plate and garnish with herbs of choice.