PASTA WITH MUSSELS, TOMATOES AND FRIED CAPERS
The best part of a big pot of mussels is arguably the broth, especially when it features plenty of garlic and wine. Here, the mussels and their broth - combined with ripe summer tomatoes - make a heady, rich sauce for pasta. A topping of toasted garlicky bread crumbs run through with fried capers gives the mixture texture and tang. This is just as good warm as it is hot, so feel free to make it up to an hour in advance, adding the herbs just before serving.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, weekday, pastas, main course
Time 1h
Yield 3 to 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until 2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain.
- As pasta cooks, prepare the bread crumbs: In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add capers and minced garlic, and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add bread crumbs, and fry until both crumbs and capers are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape the crumbs and capers onto a plate, and season to taste with salt.
- Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and let it get hot. Add sliced garlic and red-pepper flakes, and let sizzle until garlic is golden at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes have softened and start to lose their shape, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomato solids to a small bowl, add lemon juice to taste, and set aside.
- Add wine and oregano to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add mussels, cover and cook over medium heat, shaking the pot occasionally, until mussels have opened and are cooked through, about 4 to 7 minutes. Transfer mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, and let cool slightly. Discard any unopened mussels.
- Simmer the mussels liquid until reduced to a glaze, about 5 minutes. Discard oregano sprigs.
- When mussels are still hot (but not too hot to handle), pull meat from shells and add to the pot with reduced mussel broth (discard shells). Add pasta, tomatoes and butter, and toss well. Taste and add more lemon juice and salt if needed.
- Transfer mixture to a shallow serving bowl and toss with herbs. Top with bread crumb-caper mixture and serve.
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Ulam Gutrul
[email protected]I would definitely recommend this recipe to others.
Saurav Niroula
[email protected]This recipe is a keeper!
Rubi Espinosa
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of mussels, but this dish changed my mind. They were cooked perfectly and the sauce was amazing.
Reggie Gardner
[email protected]This dish is perfect for a special occasion.
Meherun Nessa
[email protected]I didn't have any capers on hand, so I used olives instead. It was still delicious!
Amahle Mbili
[email protected]The sauce was a little too salty for my taste, but overall the dish was still very good.
Fatema Tul Nishi
[email protected]This is a great recipe for a quick and easy weeknight meal.
Minhaz 009
[email protected]I made this dish for a party and it was a huge success. Everyone loved it!
Zadav Vai
[email protected]The tomatoes added a nice sweetness to the sauce.
sobia khan
[email protected]I used a variety of mussels, including blue mussels, green mussels, and black mussels. They all cooked evenly and had a great flavor.
Aamina Abfi
[email protected]The fried capers added a nice touch of briny flavor to the dish.
James Cruz
[email protected]This pasta dish was a hit with my family! The mussels were cooked perfectly and the sauce was flavorful and light. I will definitely be making this again.