I've never cooked mussels before, so I thought I would be adventurous and try this weekend.
In addition to never preparing mussels before, I also don’t eat them very often.
I'm particular about the texture of seafood, so I thought I would make a forgiving recipe by stuffing the mussels with a breading mixture.
This recipe uses Italian inspired flavours such as fennel, seasoned breadcrumbs and prosciutto.
It’s an elegant but super easy recipe!
Baked mussels with Italian Stuffing
ITALIAN STUFFED MUSSELS
Protein: mussels
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
INGREDIENTS (11):
mussels (2 lbs)
butter (2 tbsp)
garlic (1 tbsp minced)
fennel (1/2 tsp)
green onion (3-4 stalks)
prosciutto (3-4 slices)
white wine (1/2 c)
oyster sauce (2 tbsp)
arugula (3 c)
heavy cream (1/2 c)
italian breadcrumbs (2 tbsp + 2 tbsp)
INSTRUCTIONS:
-Preheat oven to 400F.
(In this recipe I used pre-cooked frozen mussels and defrosted them. If using fresh mussels, steam them to cook- be sure to discard any that stay closed after cooking. Once you have cooked mussels, break off the empty side of the shell, keeping the side with the mussel attached for stuffing.)
-Arrange cooked mussels on a baking sheet.
-Chop green onion, prosciutto and arugula into small pieces.
-Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, fennel, green onion and prosciutto and cook a few minutes until green onion is tender.
-Add white wine and oyster sauce to the mixture and bring to a low simmer.
-Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture reduces and thickens. This should only take a few minutes.
-Once thickened, add the cream and bring to a low boil. Once bubbling, fold in arugula and cook until it’s wilted.
-Add 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs and mix well.
-Take the mixture off heat and let cool for a few minutes.
-Once cooled, spoon the mixture into each shell to fill in empty space around the mussel.
You can add as much or as little as you want in this step!
-Sprinkle a light layer of breadcrumbs on top of the stuffed mussels.
-Put in oven for 8 minutes or until the mussels are bubbling.
