Mussels with saffron

A few years ago I cooked some mussels for the three of us in a wood-fired oven. Ever since then, when mussels are on the menu, I land the job of cooking them. Use the freshest local black mussels you can and by all means avoid the frozen green-lipped imported variety. Discard any broken or open shells before cooking as they will be well past their prime.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 100 ml olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 2 kg fresh local black mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 g saffron threads, steeped in 1 tbsp hot water for 1-2 hours
• 1 cup basil leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Place a large wide saucepan with a fitted lid over high heat for 2 minutes. When the pan is very hot, add the oil, garlic and spring onion and stir to combine well. The pan will start to smoke and sizzle but make sure you keep on stirring.

Add the mussels and stir to coat well, then add the tomatoes and combine well. Add the paprika and saffron, then cover and cook, shaking the pan regularly for 4-5 minutes or just until the shells open.

Remove from the heat, stir in the basil and check the seasoning, then serve immediately.

This recipe is from Gourmet Farmer Afloat. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.