Steamed Mussels & Linguine

Serves 4

Here’s a quick recipe that is versatile enough to be both a pasta dinner or a flavorful lunch. Steamed mussels require nothing more than a seasoned broth and 10 min of cooking to prepare. They are easy to find and are often pre-cleaned, making dinner prep even easier!

Make sure the mussels are alive before cooking. Closed mussels are ready to cook but open mussels need a quick inspection. Tap them on the counter and if the close up, they are good to go. If they remain open, don’t eat them because they aren’t alive. Throw away any mussel with a broken shell. Remove any ‘beard’ attached to the shell.

Conversely, after cooking all the mussels should be open. Tightly shut mussels should be thrown away.

This recipe makes for a creamy bacon sauce perfect for clinging onto pasta. If you want to omit the pasta and bump up the flavor, add coconut milk instead of cream. And otherwise, have some grilled bread on the side for soaking up the sauce! Enjoy!

Pair with...

This recipe, rich with bacon and cream, would be best enjoyed with a full and crisp white wine. I look for wines that come from coastal regions of the world as they are most likely to compliment the seafood from the region. I like an Albariño from Spain, a Malagousia from Greece or a Vermentino from Sardinia with this dish.

Ingredients

2-3 lbs mussels, cleaned
3/4 lb bacon, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lb linguine
1 cup chopped parsley

Preparation

Prepare pasta according to package directions.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon as desired, set aside. Remove excess bacon fat.
In the remaining fat, cook the shallots 5 min.
Add garlic and chili flakes, cook 1 min.
Add wine and reduce for 3 min. Add cream and let boil for 2 min.
Reduce heat to low and add mussels.
Cover and cook 10 min. Add half the parsley and stir.
Serve over pasta and garnish with remaining parsley.

Chris Chisholm is a Certified Specialist of Wine and a graduate of Boston University Wine Studies and Wine Making programs. He is also a graduate of Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver, CO. He has worked as a personal chef and chef instructor.

If you have any questions, email Chris at chris@snugharborwine.com. You can also follow Chris on Instagram @winechefchris for more delicious food photos!