Chefs' Recipes

Bar Alto's mussels with chilli, garlic and white wine

Mussels steamed in white wine and spiked with chilli – it's a combination that can't be beat.

  • 20 mins preparation
  • 15 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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Bar Alto's pot of sweet, succulent mussels, complete with a chilli-sparked tomato broth will cause a riot – the good kind – at your dining table. After the mussel-eating is done, mop up the sauce with grilled ciabatta for a roaring good time.
Love shellfish? Get more mussels recipes, or this recipe for mussels in tomato sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4 Roma tomatoes
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp finely chopped fresh birdseye chilli
  • 2 kg mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  • 250 ml dry white wine
  • 800 gm canned tomato polpa or chopped canned tomatoes
  • ¼ cup each flat-leaf parsley and basil, coarsely chopped, plus extra to serve
  • To serve: toasted ciabatta, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil

Method

  • 1
    Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Make a small cross incision on the base of each tomato and blanch until skin starts to peel off (30-40 seconds), then place in iced water, peel off skin and coarsely chop tomatoes, discarding seeds.
  • 2
    Combine extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and chilli in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mussels and wine, cover with a lid and shake occasionally until mussels open (2-3 minutes). Strain, reserving liquid, and arrange mussels on a platter. Return liquid to saucepan over high heat, add chopped tomato and canned polpa, and bring to the boil. Add herbs, then pour over mussels. Season to taste, scatter with extra herbs and serve with toasted ciabatta.