Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce

Hello hello! So if you've been following along in my blog, I'm sure you've noticed that many of my most recent entries are of seafood - however, surprisingly, I still haven't done an entry on any type of small shellfish, such as clams, mussels, shrimp, and oysters. Nothing beats the taste of fresh shellfish, so it's about time for this simple but yummy recipe for wild mussels! You do have to be careful in the summer months to make sure these sea creatures remain as fresh as possible though. When I buy them at the local farmer's market, I always remember to ask them to give me a bag of ice, just to make absolute sure that the seafood stays fresh on my way home. And they really have to be eaten within 2 days max; the sooner you eat them, the better. I had bad mussels once (past 2 days of purchase) and my stomach complained about it for hours afterwards; that was NOT fun. Oh and one other thing, mussels are always sold live and they need to breathe. So when you get home, whatever you do, don't put them in an airtight container or the vegetable drawer or they will all suffocate, and a dead mussel is not a mussel you want to eat.

The sauce is a riff of the simple tomato sauce I'd posted earlier except this time, I stirred in some fresh basil a couple minutes before I turned off the heat. I also used the most delicious heirloom tomatoes from the Union Square farmer's market - look at all the variety (there's even purple tomatoes)!



Anyhow, as my 5th grade teacher used to say before lunch (funny how I still remember this but I'll forget stuff that happened yesterday)... Bon appetit, time to eat! :)

Wild Mussels in Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce Ingredients: • 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded Simple Tomato Sauce • 2 pounds sweet, ripe greenhouse tomatoes, washed, chopped, and seeded • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed through a garlic press • 1 large red onion, diced • 1 teaspoon salt • Fresh basil • Fresh parsley (optional) Directions: 1. Tomato sauce: Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and let it sizzle for half a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and salt. 4. Bring the sauce to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cook for 30 to 45 minutes at steady simmer, or until the fat floats free from the tomato and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. 5. Taste the sauce and add more salt, if necessary. Stir in the fresh basil and turn off the heat after a couple minutes. 6. Hold each mussel under cold running water. Use a brush with stiff bristles to thoroughly scrub the mussel and remove grit, sand, and mud from the shell's exterior. Wild mussels usually have a dark, shaggy beard extending from each shell. After scrubbing each mussel, pull the beard away from the shell until taut, and then pull the beard down sharply toward the dark hinge. It should snap away easily. Removing its beard will kill the mussel, so perform this step just before cooking them. 7. Add the mussels, cover, and stream until they are open, about 5-7 minutes. Shake the pot, holding down the lid with a kitchen towel, to redistribute the mussels. Discard any mussels that do not open because this indicates that they have died. Place the mussels in a plate, then pour the warm tomato basil sauce over them. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you wish.