Smoke cured chorizo’s sweet paprika flavour blends brilliantly with that of the creamy briny mussels to give you a robust and rustic dish that comes together in just twenty minutes.
Some recipes conjure up all that is warm and sunny about Southern Europe and a big hand goes to the Spanish. The iconic Paella is an example and FYI here is my 30 minute recipefor this amazing dish. Another Spanish creation that has made a mark is mussels with Chorizo sausage. Now that the mussel season is in full swing and most good supermarkets stock them already cleaned and bearded, I decided to give that a try.
I would have never thought of that combination but it works and is delicious.
All you need to do is gently sauté finely copped shallots, some garlic and sliced chorizo sausage to release their juices and flavour. Add dry white wine, cleaned mussels and a few cherry tomatoes for color and bring to a rapid boil for 2-3 minutes. Serve steaming hot with toasted baguette as an appetizer or main course.
If that doesn’t get your taste buds clacking like castanets, I don’t know what will.
( A word of caution. Mexican chorizo is not a substitute for the Spanish variety).
Mussels With Chorizo
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- A pot large enough to quickly steam 2lb of mussels. You can also cook the mussels in batches in a smaller pot in the same broth. You will also need a large slotted spoon to serve the mussels and a ladle to serve the broth.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large shallot finely chopped (or a medium yellow onion)
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 8 oz thinly sliced cured chorizo sausage (casing removed)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 lb mussels
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- parsely for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse bearded mussels in cold water and discard any open mussels. Tap open ones and if they close they are still fresh. If they stay open discard them.
- Put the olive oil in a large pot that can later be covered, and turn the heat to medium. Cook the shallots and chorizo, stirring occasionally, until the shallots softens, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in chopped garlic and chili flakes and cook for a minute to release flavor.
- Add a cup of dry white wine and a cup chicken broth, increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes to deglaze the pot.
- Salt to taste.
- Add mussels and cherry tomatoes and on a high heat boil vigorously with the pan covered until mussels open, 2-3 minutes (discard any closed mussels).
- Garnish with parsley and serve hot with toasted baguette.
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