← Nouns Cooking · Italian

Ingredients

• 1 kg Mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 80 g Breadcrumbs
• 30 g grated pecorino or Parmesan
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zest grated, then cut into wedges
• 100 g Cherry tomatoes, finely chopped (optional)
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper

Method

1. Discard any mussels that are broken or stay open when tapped. Put the rest in a large pan over high heat, cover and cook for 3–4 min, shaking the pan, until they open. Throw away any that stay shut.
2. Strain and keep the juices. When cool enough to handle, pull off and discard the empty half of each shell and lay the mussels in their half shells on a baking tray.
3. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan, 425°F). Mix the breadcrumbs with the cheese, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, pepper, 3 tbsp oil and 2–3 tbsp of the mussel juices until it clumps like damp sand.
4. Top each mussel with a little chopped tomato, if using, and press a spoonful of the crumbs over it.
5. Drizzle with the rest of the oil and bake for 8–10 min until the tops are golden and crisp. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Tips

• Contains molluscs, gluten and dairy.
• You can fill the shells a few hours ahead, keep them in the fridge and bake just before serving.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Memorie di Angelina GialloZafferano