Mussels in tomato sauce

Mussels (500 g) can be either closed in two shells or with one shell, or completely cleaned.

If you are using frozen mussels, they need to be thawed by placing them in the refrigerator for 4–6 hours.

Rinse the mussels under running water and squeeze them thoroughly if they are missing one of the shells or are shell-less.

In the case of closed mussels, simply rinse them and remove any seaweed, as well as damaged and open shells.

Raw open shells should not be used – they should be discarded. Also, if the mussels in two shells did not open during cooking, they should not be eaten.

Preparing the Sauce

Finely chop the onion (1/2 piece), garlic (2 cloves), and celery (1 stalk), and mix them together.

Blanch the tomatoes (300 g): pour boiling water over them for 2 minutes, then peel and dice.

In a pan, heat olive oil (1–2 tbsp), add garlic and onion, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent.

Then add the chopped celery and sauté for another couple of minutes.

After that, add the prepared tomatoes and simmer for about 7–10 minutes.

If the sauce is too thick, add a little water.

Now add the rinsed mussels, dry white wine (100 g), salt to taste, and spices to the sauce:

• bay leaf (1 piece);
• allspice (a pinch);
• herbes de Provence (a pinch).

Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for another 10 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan to help the mussels open.

At the very end of cooking, add finely chopped parsley (a few sprigs) and, if desired, basil.

Serve the mussels in a deep plate or soup bowl along with the sauce. Mussels can be drizzled with lemon (1 piece).

Don’t forget, if the mussels with two shells did not open during cooking, they should be discarded!