A deep dish that can be placed on the hob and then transferred to the table is ideal for this recipe. Originally it was made in a kettle-like dish known as a cataplana, which allowed the flavours to develop as much as possible while the ingredients settled under and over the mussels.
preparation time 35 minutes
cooking time 15 to 20 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
48 mussels
3 tablespoons olive oil
125 g (4 oz) garlic sausage, cut into cubes
75 g (3 oz) prosciutto, trimmed and diced
175 g (6 oz) onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
a pinch of paprika
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a pinch of crushed dried chilli
1 bay leaf
750 g (11⁄2 lb tomatoes), skinned, deseeded and sliced
150 ml (5 fl oz) dry white wine
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 Scrub the mussels under cold running water. Pull off the beards and scrape off any barnacles with a small sharp knife. Discard any open mussels that do not close when tapped lightly on a work surface.
2 Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan, add the garlic sausage and prosciutto and cook gently for 1 minute. Add the onions, garlic and red pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
3 Sprinkle in the paprika, cayenne and chilli, then add the bay leaf, tomatoes and white wine. Bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper.
4 Pour half the mixture into the serving dish. Place the mussels on top and spread the rest of the tomato mixture over them. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook gently for 10–15 minutes, then remove the lid and check that the shells have opened. If not, then cook for a few minutes longer.
5 Discard any mussels that have not opened. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, then garnish with the chopped dill and serve straight away. Be sure to provide a finger bowl of warm water.
A great proportion of the mussels sold today will have been reared in purified water. Whilst it is the view of some traditionalists that mussels produced this way develop less flavour they will all agree that the mussels need less cleaning. The general rules for buying mussels are the same as for all shellfish: buy from a reputable dealer, store in the fridge until ready to use them – which should be the same day as purchase – and check and discard any dead ones prior to cooking.