Mussels in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Chorizo
Chunks of smoky chorizo sausages served with tender mussels in spicy tomato sauce. So quick and simple, yet restaurant-worthy
Video
Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp (30ml / 1floz) olive oil
- 2 (250g / 8.8oz) cured Spanish chorizo, diced into small chunks (NOTE 1)
- ½ (35g / 1.2oz) brown onion or shallots, finely diced
- 6 (20g / 0.7oz) garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes (or adjust to taste)
- ⅓ cup (80ml / 2.7floz) dry white wine (NOTE 2)
- 2 x 400g / 14oz canned crushed tomatoes (NOTE 3)
- 20 (10g / 0.4g) fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1kg / 2.2lbs black mussels, cleaned with beard removed (NOTE 4)
Instructions
- Cut each chorizo lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut the strips into small pieces. In a large deep frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat, then brown the chorizo. Stir in the garlic, onions and chilli flakes for 2 minutes, or until aromatic, taking care not to burn them. Pour in the wine and cook until the alcohol smell disappears.
- Stir in the canned tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and pepper, then bring the sauce to a boil. Decrease heat to low or until the sauce is gently bubbling but not spitting. Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- If the sauce is too thick for your liking, then add some water a little at a time until you get the desired consistency. Return the heat to medium-high, then toss the mussels in the sauce, and cover. Cook the mussels for 1 minute or until the shells open. Discard any mussels that didn't open. Taste the sauce and mussels, then adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more salt or chilli flakes if needed.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Spanish chorizo - We want the fermented and cured sausage (not the fresh, or raw kind), the ones that are usually vacuum sealed and stored in the fridge. The curing process involves drying and sometimes smoking, resulting in a firm, dry texture. Its flavour is intensely savoury and smoky.
(NOTE 2) White wine - Any inexpensive white wine will do, but if possible, opt for a 'dry' white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio as they're less sweet. If you would like to omit the wine, swap it with the same amount of salt-reduced (low sodium) chicken stock, or non-alcoholic wine.
(NOTE 3) Crushed tomatoes are made from ripe, peeled, and crushed tomatoes, and then canned. You could also use passata or tomato puree in place of crushed tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are usually acidic, so they need to cook for a long time to become sweet. To balance the sourness of the tomatoes, this recipe calls for a small amount of sugar since we only cook the sauce for 20 minutes.
(NOTE 4) Mussels - I used black live mussels that came in a loose vacuum-sealed bag with some seawater. I just quickly cleaned the mussels with water and then strained them. When using uncleaned mussels, scrub the shells and remove their beards before cooking.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page
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Cheers – Cat T
Nutrition
Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 29gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 794mgPotassium: 1070mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1287IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 9mg