Did someone say mussels? Yes please! This delicious meal packs an amazing flavoursome punch. Impress your house guests with this beautiful serving at the dining table.
Ingredients
1 kg (2.2 lbs) New Zealand Greenshell mussels – frozen half shell (thawed) or live mussels scrubbed and de-bearded
150mls Olive Oil
1 large Garlic Clove – minced
1 Onion – roughly chopped
3 Ripe Roma Tomatoes – chopped (substitute would be tinned Roma Tomatoes)
250mls White Wine
1 Tablespoon Basil Pesto
3 rashers Streaky Bacon (remove rind)
150gms (5.3 oz) Feta (cows feta crumbly style)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Basil – rough chopped
1 Tablespoon Fresh Italian Parsley – rough chopped
Salt and Black Pepper to season
1 Baguette (French Stick)
Method
1. Portion the baguette & rub with the garlic & then brush with olive oil. Lightly toast & keep warm to serve with the mussels.
2. In a heavy based sauce pan sauté roughly chopped bacon in the olive oil until crispy then sauté onions & garlic in the bacon oil until soft & transparent.
3. Add tomatoes & half the wine. Allow sauce to come up to the boil, and then simmer for 8-10 minutes to reduce the sauce. To finish the sauce, season to taste & stir in pesto, remove the sauce from the pot & store in a suitable container.
4. Wash & reuse the heavy based sauce pan, place on the heat with a lid until very hot, place the mussels into the pot with the remaining wine, then cover and steam. If cooking live mussels, steam for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pot a few times during. The mussels are cooked when the shells open, remove from the heat and discard any mussels that don’t open. For frozen half shell mussels (thawed), steam for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.
5. Return the tomato sauce to the pan with the mussels, allowing the sauce to come back up to boil, correct the seasoning & just before serving add the fresh herbs.
Portion the mussels out into bowls and divide out the sauce. Next crumble the feta over the mussels. Finish with warm baguette & serve while hot.
Seves 4.
Wine pairing – Bald Hills Last Light Central Otago Reisling
Fresh seafood combines beautifully with this wine. Mussels are a great match with their richness and slight sweetness.
