Chili Mussels

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 2 kg fresh mussels
• 1/4 cup dry wine (or water)
• lemon
• fresh parsley
• 500 g ripe good-tasting tomatoes, skinned (roma or plum)
• 15 g butter or 15 g margarine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 chilies, chopped (or a good teaspoon of bottled chopped chilli)

Recipe

• 1 sauce: chop the tomatoes.
• 2 heat the butter/margarine and olive oil in a saucepan and fry the diced onions, chopped garlic and chillies until the onion is transparent, taking care not to let the garlic colour (it will taste bitter otherwise).
• 3 add the paprika, basil and tomato paste and stir.
• 4 at this point, a little dry wine (or water) may be added to loosen the sauce and then add the tomatoes, with a pinch of sugar.
• 5 simmer for 40 minutes and then season with salt and pepper.
• 6 clean the mussels and debeard (pull the hair away from the mussel).
• 7 place the mussels and dry wine (or water) in a pot over a high heat.
• 8 cover with a firm lid to create steam from the liquid.
• 9 steam the mussels and once they are fully open, strain all the liquid from the pot.
• 10 discard any that haven't opened.
• 11 add the chilli tomato sauce to the mussels and stir gently to coat all the mussels with the sauce.
• 12 squeeze over half a lemon and garnish the dish with quartered lemons and chopped parsley.
• 13 serve immediately, with lots of crusty bread to mop up the juices.