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Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Tomato and Basil

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

40 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Tomato and Basil

Ingredients

1 cup white wine ½ cup minced shallots 4 medium cloves garlic, minced½ cup chopped fresh basil 1 bay leaf 4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded2 cups crushed tomatoes ¼ cup olive oil

Before You Begin

This recipe is adapted from Jim Peterson’s Fish and Shellfish (Morrow, 1996). Serve these tomato-bathed mussels over one pound of cooked, drained cappellini.

Instructions

  1. Bring wine, shallots, garlic, basil, and bay leaf to simmer in large pot; continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add mussels; cover and cook, stirring twice, until mussels open, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on pot and mussel size.
  2. Remove mussels from liquid, twist off and discard top shells, and put in large serving bowl. Meanwhile, add chopped tomatoes and olive oil and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return mussels to reduced sauce. Serve.
Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Tomato and Basil

Mussels Steamed in White Wine with Tomato and Basil

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

40 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup white wine
½ cup minced shallots
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 cups crushed tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil

Ingredients

1 cup white wine
½ cup minced shallots
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 cups crushed tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil

Ingredients

1 cup white wine
½ cup minced shallots
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
2 cups crushed tomatoes
¼ cup olive oil

Why This Recipe Works

For a steamed mussels recipe that was quick, flavorful, and grit-free, we began with rope-cultured and Great Eastern bottom mussels (a widely available variety), which we found to be the cleanest. Garlic in the broth balanced and enriched the flavor of the mussels. Simmering the broth for a few minutes before adding the mussels beefed up the flavor. When developing our steamed mussels recipe, we found that larger mussels need to cook a few minutes after they open to firm up, but that didn’t create any difficulty for us. It all evened out if we simply cooked them until all the mussels opened.

Before You Begin

This recipe is adapted from Jim Peterson’s Fish and Shellfish (Morrow, 1996). Serve these tomato-bathed mussels over one pound of cooked, drained cappellini.

Instructions

  1. Bring wine, shallots, garlic, basil, and bay leaf to simmer in large pot; continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add mussels; cover and cook, stirring twice, until mussels open, 4 to 8 minutes, depending on pot and mussel size.
  2. Remove mussels from liquid, twist off and discard top shells, and put in large serving bowl. Meanwhile, add chopped tomatoes and olive oil and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return mussels to reduced sauce. Serve.

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