Jamie’s Mussels with Mum

This weekend I had my mum round to stay for some much needed girl-time. Aside from the nails and boy-talk that inevitably ensued, being a fellow foodie we were soon cooking up a storm together in the kitchen. We decided to make one of our favourite Jamie Oliver recipes for Moroccan Mussels and wash it down with a nice bottle of white wine before sharing our culinary experience with you. What we love about this meal is that it is wonderfully messy: as you pull apart shells, break bread, pick at salad and laugh about the tomato sauce running down your wrists you get a sense of communal eating that suggests this is NOT the recipe for a first date. However it is rather scrummy and one I would highly recommend to any fish fans out there.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Method

1. Clean your mussels! Remove any that are open, debeard and set the clean ones aside.
2. Pour a splash of olive oil in to a large roasting tray or pan on a low heat.
3. Crush 2 cloves garlic in to the hot oil and add the Harissa.
4. In a mixing bowl liquidize the tomatoes with most of the coriander, the preserved lemon, saffron, salt and pepper.
5. Add the sauce to the pan, bring to the boil and stir in the mussels.
6. Cover with a double layer of tin foil, pinched in at the side with a tea towel (to protect from burns!), and reduce the heat to a simmer.
7. Half the ciabatta rolls and place under the grill.
8. Remove the bottom of the gem lettuce and tear roughly on to serving plate.
9. Roughly grate the cucumber in to a mixing bowl, add a large pinch of salt and squeeze out and discard the excess liquid.
10. Finely chop the mint and add this to the cucumber with the lemon juice and yogurt.
11. Season to taste and spoon over the lettuce.
12. Remove the ciabatta from the grill, rub over with the remaining garlic and spread thickly with sun-dried tomato tapenade.
13. The mussels will have been cooking now for approx. 10 minutes, so check to see if they have opened (discard any that are still closed).
14. Sprinkle with the remaining coriander, check the sauce and season to taste if required and serve.

All that’s left to be said is LET’S GET MESSY! I hope you enjoy these mussels as much as my mum and I do 🙂

Happy eating!

x

Please note: Quantities have been amended to taste and to serve 2. For full original recipe please see Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals.

Tags: fish harissa morrocan mussels

Categories: Domestic Goddess Ilona's Weekly Munchies