Fresh blue cultured mussels, also referred to as PEI Mussels, are a wonderful ingredient to plan a romantic meal around. Grilled, steamed, dipped in butter or cooked in a curry or wine based broth, mussels are a Seduction Meal in the making. I always wondered why it never made the Aphrodisiac list next to oysters and other shellfish. Simple, healthy and delicious–now that’s a great combo!
Here we have Mussels Marinara. The first time I had mussels in marinara sauce was in Italy when I was staying in a tiny fishing village and the owners of the restaurant made a special dish for us. It was magnificent! You can serve this on its own with crusty white bread to dip the sauce or you can serve this over a plate of pasta.
Spicy Mussels Marinara
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white onion, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 1 3⁄4 tomatoes, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 24 fresh cultured blue mussels
Instructions
- Rinse fresh blue mussels in tap water.
- Sauté onions and garlic in oil until onions are transparent.
- Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
- Add half the wine, reduce, then add remaining wine, tomato, herbs and seasoning. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf. Cover and steam mussels in small amount of water over high heat until open (5-8 minutes).
- Pour sauce over mussels. Enjoy!
