Directions
When I think about a seafood appetizer, the first dish that comes to mind is cozze alla tarantina.
Yeah, exactly that delicious dish of mussels served with a spicy tomato sauce, in which it’s a pleasure to dip well-toasted bread.
Sure, cleaning mussels is always annoying, but with little effort, you can prepare the king of appetizers, one of the simplest, but most delicious Italian dishes.
With their delicate flavor and meaty texture, mussels seem born to be accompanied by a dash of savory tomato sauce.
Enough talking, let’s go to the recipe of the cozze alla tarantina.
Ingredients for making a perfect mussels soup with spicy tomato
8 servings
- 2 kg of mussels
- 400 grams of tomato sauce
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 bunch of parsley or cilantro too
- 3 cm of fresh chili
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil.
How to prepare mussel soup with spicy tomato sauce
Wash and clean mussels, removing the beards. A brush can help, a lot!
Discard the broken ones.
Cook them in a pan with a drizzle of oil, then strain the mussel liquid to remove any residues of sand and shells.
Crush garlic and brown gently in a pan with 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. 3 minutes, without burning it.
Add chopped chili, two more minutes, then add tomato sauce and the cooking liquid of the mussels.
Cook for 15 minutes, gently.
When the sauce is ready, dip mussels, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, a generous dose of pepper and serve with slices of toasted bread.
Rub generously a clove of garlic on the bread to make it more appetizing.
This is a typical dish you can find in Puglia, a region famous for its delicious food, great diary and the hotness of its chili.
What wine goes well with mussels soup with spicy tomato?
I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best: Champagne or Prosecco.
If you want to pair a cocktail, Gin and Tonic is perfect to tame the spiciness of the dish.
