Spaghetti with Mussels

Name: Spaghetti with Mussels Recipe: Tomato and Basil Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Spaghetti 250 g; Water for cooking the pasta 2.5 l; Salt for cooking the pasta 18 g; Mussels, shelled (frozen) 200 g; Tomato 1; Garlic 3-4 cloves; Olive oil 3 tbsp; Basil 3-4 sprigs; Lemon juice 1 tsp; Water 2-3 tbsp; Black pepper, nutmeg, salt, dried Mediterranean herbs to taste

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30 mins

Despite the firm belief that the most popular pasta is spaghetti or macaroni, it turns out that the most widespread pasta is fettuccine (Italian: Fettuccine).

Fettuccine is, simply put, long flat ribbons of dough, a noodle, usually 5-7 mm wide. Fettuccine is a long pasta, like the popular spaghetti, which turns out perfectly with mushrooms or with chicken.

Spaghetti is one of the types of Italian pasta: long round strands of dough. The diameter of spaghetti is usually about 2 mm. But there are also thinner spaghettini, thicker spaghettoni, and strands as fine as hair, capellini.

You can make many dishes with mussels: mussel risotto, mussel pizza, mussels fried in batter, and even a warm salad of mussels with pasta. For a quick breakfast, spaghetti with mussels stewed in a light sauce with herbs, spices and, if you like, a clove of garlic is a great choice. I explained in detail how to prepare mussels properly in my article how to cook mussels.

More with mussels

Mussels in Tomato Sauce

50 min

Mussels with Vegetables

55 min

Mussel Frittata: Italian Seafood Omelet Baked in the Oven

40 min

Mussel Risotto with Garlic, White Wine and Parmesan

Ingredients

2 servings

For the pasta
Spaghetti 250 g
Water for cooking the pasta 2.5 l
Salt for cooking the pasta 18 g
For the sauce
Mussels, shelled (frozen) 200 g
Tomato 1
Garlic 3-4 cloves
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Basil 3-4 sprigs
Lemon juice 1 tsp
Water 2-3 tbsp
Black pepper, nutmeg, salt, dried Mediterranean herbs to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Cooking the spaghetti

Bring 2.5 l of water to a boil in a pot and salt it with 18 g of salt.
Cook the spaghetti in the salted water until done. The cooking time is on the package. It is important that the pasta is not overcooked but still slightly firm inside, the “al dente” stage.

Preparing the ingredients

While the spaghetti is cooking, make the sauce.
Scald the tomato with boiling water, cut it in half and remove all the seeds.
Peel off the skin and chop the flesh finely with a knife.
Peel the garlic and crush the cloves with the handle of a knife.
Pick the leaves off the basil sprigs and chop them finely.
Cover the mussels with water, bring to a boil and rinse right away.
Mussels are usually sold shelled and frozen. You can use them without thawing, but it is still better to prepare them this way.

Mussel sauce

Pour the olive oil into a skillet, heat it over medium heat and fry the crushed garlic cloves for 1-2 mins. The garlic is only there to flavor the oil a little, after which you discard it.
Fry the tomato flesh in the oil, stirring constantly, for 1-2 mins.
Add the mussels and the finely chopped basil.
Add salt and pepper, a pinch of grated nutmeg (on the tip of a knife) and a pinch of dried Mediterranean herbs. Add 2-3 tbsp of water and 1 tsp of lemon juice. If you like, grate a clove of garlic into the mussel sauce.
Cover with a lid and simmer the sauce over low heat until done, 3-4 mins.
If there is too much liquid in the sauce, take off the lid to let the moisture evaporate. As a rule, though, this is not needed.

Serving

Drain the cooked spaghetti in a colander and let the water run off.
Mix the spaghetti with the mussel sauce and toss.
Divide the spaghetti with mussels between plates and serve hot. Any pasta should be served only hot.