I particularly like these mussels with their astringent dressing - an ice-cold beer would be the perfect accompaniment.
750g/1lb 10oz large, rope-grown mussels
1 medium vine-ripened tomato, skinned, roughly chopped
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
2 pickled cornichons (mini gherkins), finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp finely chopped green pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped red pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley
Wash the mussels in plenty of cold water and scrape off any barnacles with a knife. Discard any that don’t show signs of closing when squeezed gently, then pull out the tough fibrous beards protruding from between the closed shells.
Heat a large, heavy-based pan over a high heat. Add the mussels and two tablespoons of water, cover and shake around for 2-3 minutes, or until the mussels have just opened. Drain into a colander and leave until cool enough to handle. (Discard any mussels that do not open.)
Break away the empty, top half-shell from each mussel. Release the meat in the other shell, but leave it in place. Place them side by side on a serving platter.
For the dressing, put the chopped tomato into a mini food processor and blend until smooth. Add the vinegar, oil and some salt and pepper to taste and blend briefly once more to combine.
Tip into a small bowl and stir in the capers, cornichons, red onion, green pepper, red pepper and parsley. Spoon some of the dressing over each mussel and serve at room temperature.
Type the ingredients you want to use, then click Go. For better results you can use quotation marks around phrases (e.g. "chicken breast"). Alternatively you can search by chef, programme, cuisine, diet, or dish (e.g. Lasagne).
See more mussels recipes
Lettuce, anchovy and egg salad with a creamy vinaigrette
See more Rick Stein recipes
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
