Plump black mussels are readily available along most of Northern Baja and Southern California’s shorelines, and this time of year, are ready for harvest and safe consumption when they are taken from pristine, unpolluted venues. These bivalve mollusks are delectable with pesto sauce and pasta, and absolutely mandatory when making Spanish paella .
Here, Chef Alberto Morreale, of Osteria Panevino in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, offers a great Sicilian-style recipe for baked mussels that offers a touch of Mediterranean elegance to offset the delicate flavor of this tasty shellfish.
Scrub the mussels with a brush, and pull off beards if necessary. Prepare a fring pan with a tight-fitting lid large enough to hold all the mussels. Add 3-4 tbs. olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Cover pan; let mussels steam over medium heat to open.
Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley and chili. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Remove mussels from pan to cool and reserve cooking liquid. Discard any unopened mussels. Open shells of remaining mussels and pull mussels from shells. Do not break shells apart.
Lay shells flat across a rimmed baking sheet and place one mussel in each shell. Cover each mussel with 1 tbs. stuffing mixture and 1 tbsp. chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and remaining liquid from steam process to moisten breadcrumbs. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.
