Steamed Mussels with Gremolata and Olive Toasts
Photography Minka Firth.
Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 kilos mussels
1 bay leaf
3 parsley stalks
pinch of saffron
1 cup dry white wine
Gremolata
¼ cup chopped mint, basil or flat leaf parsley
fine zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Olive Toasts
6 long slices of ciabatta
2 cloves garlic, peeled
100 grams green olive paste, pesto or tapenade
METHOD
Mussels: Rinse the mussels in cold water and scrape off any barnacles with a knife. Pull off the beard with a sharp downwards tug.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and cook the onions and garlic until soft. Increase the heat and add the bay leaf, parsley stalks, saffron, white wine and the mussels. Stir then cover and cook for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Take off the lid and remove the mussels that have opened. Put the lid back on and steam until the remaining mussels have opened. Discard any that don’t open. Pile the mussels in a serving bowl and pour over the juices.
Gremolata: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.
Olive toasts: Grill the bread until golden. Rub one side with a cut piece of garlic. Spread with olive paste and cut each piece in half on the diagonal.
To serve: Sprinkle the gremolata over the mussels and tuck in the pieces of toast.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.







