Mussels in Fresh Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti

One of my friends' favourite dishes. When I have the time and the right ingredients, it is without question one of my best. It has become almost a summer ritual — His Majesty the Mussel, with bruschetta bread and fresh tomato sauce.

The Macho Evening

Often in summer, when the wives leave with the children for the seaside and we stay behind to work, we get together — just the boys — for an evening where no woman is watching if you made too much mess in the kitchen, and you can have a couple of extra glasses of wine without being judged.

The wine is always taken care of by my dear friend Nuber, a sommelier by passion and for his friends — the good ones, like me. He never gets it wrong.

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 kg large fresh mussels
1 kg Cuore di Bue (beefsteak) tomatoes — lots of flesh, little water
500g spaghetti
6 cloves of garlic
A bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 glass of dry white wine
Generous dried oregano
Extra virgin olive oil — generous
Half a tbsp chilli oil or 1 crushed fresh chilli
Salt to taste
3 half-slices of bread per person, for bruschetta
1 steel scrubbing pad (for cleaning the mussels)

Method

Clean the mussels — the most demanding part

This is the stage that requires the most time and attention. I clean them obsessively — I want them jet black and spotless on the outside. Scrub them under cold running water with a steel scrubbing pad: it works brilliantly. Remember to pull out the beard — the little thread that anchors the mussel to rocks. If there is any white calcium deposit, scrape it off with the blade of a knife. For two kilos, if you are fast and experienced, 45 minutes is enough.

Make the tomato sauce

Cut the beefsteak tomatoes into small cubes and place in a bowl. Add extra virgin olive oil, salt, 3 garlic cloves crushed with the palm of your hand and generous oregano. Mix well and leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Transfer everything to a tall pot and cook over medium heat for 25 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced into a rich, flavourful sauce.

Open the mussels

Finely chop the parsley. In a large wide pan, pour the extra virgin olive oil and chilli oil and add the remaining 3 garlic cloves, crushed. Let everything brown together over medium heat. Add the cleaned mussels, cover with a lid and deglaze with the white wine. The mussels will open in a few minutes. Discard any that stay closed.

Cook the spaghetti

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, keeping a ladle of pasta cooking water.

Bring it all together

Once all the mussels have opened, discard any that remain closed and pour the tomato sauce into the pan with the mussels — keep a little aside for the spaghetti. Cook everything together for a couple of minutes. Add the drained spaghetti and toss well with the reserved tomato sauce until everything is perfectly combined.

Plate with style

This step is of vital importance. Use tall deep porcelain bowls — like deep salad bowls. Arrange 3 half-slices of bruschetta bread around the rim of each bowl. Add the mussels in the centre with the sauce, then cover with the spaghetti already tossed in tomato. Finish with a generous drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil. Bring to the table — pasta and mussels together in one single glorious course, to the delight of the whole table.

My tips

Do not cut corners on cleaning the mussels — it is the most important stage. A poorly cleaned mussel can ruin the whole dish.
Beefsteak tomatoes are essential for the sauce — they have little water and lots of sweet flesh. Do not substitute with tinned tomatoes.
The tall porcelain bowl is not just aesthetics — it keeps the dish hot longer and holds the bread upright on the rim.
The bread for bruschetta should be rustic and slightly stale — soft bread goes soggy and falls apart.
For the wine, let your sommelier friend decide — if you have one like Nuber, you are sorted. 😄
Mussels that remain closed after cooking must always be discarded, no exceptions.