Amber got me a membership to Arganica Farm Club for Christmas, and fresh mussels from Rhode Island were one of the options to choose from. This is a delicate dinner, and we chose to have it with a toasted whole grain baguette. You could easily have this with pasta as well.
We paired this dinner with J Vineyards Chardonnay from California, but I found it to be a little too full bodied for this meal. A sauvignon blanc or lighter chardonnay would go well here. Please enjoy this treat from Southern France.
Ingredients and Directions:
-1 diced shallot
-2 minced cloves of garlic
-1 large diced tomato
-1 pinch of saffron
-1 cup white wine
-1 cup seafood/fish stock
-1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
-mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded (important - google it!)
-1 baguette cut into four pieces
-olive oil
-parsley for garnish
You'll want to de-beard your mussels before you do anything else, if necessary.
You’re going to need a pan deep enough to hold two cups of liquid, plus tomatoes and mussels. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Sauté the shallots on medium-high heat until soft, just a few minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or so. It should start smelling really good now. Turn the heat to high, and add the tomatoes, wine, fish stock, and saffron. Bring to a boil, and then bring heat to low to simmer for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees while the sauce comes to a boil to simmer. Brush the baguette with olive oil on both sides with a pinch of salt over each piece. Add the bread to the oven until golden brown, probably 8-10 minutes.
Turn the heat back to high on the sauce after the bread has been in the oven for a couple minutes, and add the fennel and the mussels. Cover the pan, bring the heat down to medium, and cook. The mussels should be done in about five minutes. Turn off the heat, and leave the pan covered if the bread isn’t ready yet. Throw away any mussels that haven’t opened.
Serve in a bowl with the broth and all, garnish, and enjoy!
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