Linguine with mussels in a white wine sauce

By Lizzie Moss

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again; everything is better when bathed in butter. Also, white wine (the cheap kind). 

This latest culinary adventure was borne out of another stubborn ‘I can prepare and cook any kind of seafood’ sentiment. The mission: mussels. The local floating fish shop had them, three kilograms for $20 and it’s a miracle I didn’t buy three whole kilograms.

I thought you just put them in some ice water and then into the pan they go. But no, they needed de-bearding. A horrific term which here means removing the weird wiry whiskers that somehow grew through the tiny gap in the shell. Three kilograms would have taken me ‘til 9pm. 

After that it was all rather straightforward, everything in the pan and all of a sudden it looks like you’re having lunch along the Italian coast line (as opposed to under the West Gate, in my front yard). 

As far as seafood goes, this might be my favourite dish due to 1) it not smelling like fish and 2) it looking much more impressive than it actually was. 

Ingredients:

• 500g of mussels
• Two shallots
• One clove of garlic
• 100g of salted butter
• 50-100ml of white wine (whatever is cheap)
• A handful of cherry tomatoes.
• A handful of parsley
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• 500g of linguine (fresh is best here)

Method:

1. Let your mussels soak in ice cold water for about 15 minutes.
2. De-beard by gripping each mussel in one hand and quickly pulling the wiry whiskers towards the pointy end of the shells (the smaller end).
3. Using a vegetable brush or similar, scrub the remaining sand or grit from the mussels.
4. In a pan, saute the diced shallot and garlic until it starts to brown.
5. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the butter, small cubes at a time and stir, stir, stir until it thickens.
7. Add the cherry tomatoes, then add the parsley and lemon juice.
8. Pour your mussels in and cover the pan with a lid.
9. Remove the mussels once they pop so you don’t overcook them (I made this up, who knows if you can overcook mussels).
10. Continue cooking the sauce until the tomatoes blister.
11. Cook the pasta, it should only take a few minutes.
12. Add the cooked pasta to your sauce, then add the cooked mussels back on top and warm through.
13. Serve with bread!