No Martini? No mollusks… a seafood recipe for mussels

This is what we are used to in sunny Malta. Sun, sea and seafood! Three combinations that works for thousands that love to spent a nice lunch under the sun, near the sea and eating seafood.

I happened to be around the southern village of Marsaxlokk the fishing village that is getting more popular than ever with tourists. The Fish word is written everywhere in the market stalls, streets, restaurants and of course menus. With the locals and tourists filling up every inch of the fish restaurants in the village overlooking a stunning view of the  picturesque Marsaxlokk seaside with all the typical fishermen’s ‘luzzu’, the fish lovers cannot be in a better place that this one on the island.

With my fish shopping done and ready to go, I headed home with my fresh mussels smelling and increasing my appetite along the way. For those who never experimented with alcohol, this can be you chance to give it a try. Cozze con Martini Bianco is today’s dish that I’m glad to share with you. It is kind of sad that it is my first fish recipe that I am posting but you will see this section filling up and surely the fish and seafood lovers wish will be realized.

Martini is an Italian brand of vermouth something that goes well with fish and seafood. For this recipe I used the white Martini as I wanted to have a dish ’al bianco’, which means ‘transparent sauce’. When you have fresh fish or seafood you don’t need a sauce that overpowers the fish taste. So light sauces are highly recommended for any fish and seafood dishes.

Make sure when you purchase fresh mussels to check that all of them are closed and not opened. Opened mussels are dead and also very dangerous to eat as they can be exposed to contaminated sea. Do not worry about the barnacles as you can remove them prior to cooking them. Care must be taken when using salt in the recipe as fresh mussels already contain excessive salt.

Here’s the recipe for you...

Mussels with Martini Bianco

Ingredients

1kg fresh mussels, 
3 garlic cloves - finely chopped
, 10 leafs of fresh basil, coarsely chopped
, 6 leafs of fresh mint - chopped, 
2 shots martini bianco, 
2 fresh tomatoes - diced, 
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 
200ml fish stock, 
pinch of salt
, cracked black pepper

Method

- Wash twice the fresh mussels in clear water to remove the dirt.

- Then remove the barnacles with a small knife that they might contain (it is important to remove them before cooking). Then wash them for the final time.

-  In a large sauté pan heat up the extra virgin olive oil and add the finely chopped garlic. Leave to fry for a minute or two.

- Add the mussels to the pan and mix with a big spoon while continue frying for 2 minutes on a high heat.

- Carefully add the martini bianco and flambé till the alcohol is absorbed.

- Add the fresh herbs and season with some fresh cracked pepper and pinch of salt.

- Add the water or fish stock to the mussels, boil and simmer covered with a piece of tin foil or lid for 10 mins till all the mussels are open.

- At the last minute add the diced chopped tomatoes and serve in a bowl plate with toasted garlic bread and lemon wedges.

Via PimpThatFood.com