Linguine with Mussels
Linguine with Mussels is a classic Italian-American seafood pasta featuring tender mussels, sweet grape tomatoes, garlic, white wine and extra virgin olive oil. Light, flavorful and surprisingly easy to make, it's a restaurant-quality dish that's perfect for everything from an everyday dinner to Christmas Eve's Feast of the Seven Fishes!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Dutch oven with lid or large, deep skillet or sauté pan
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 Tbsp chopped or thinly sliced garlic
- 3 anchovy fillets or 2-3 tsp anchovy paste (can use some anchovy oil in place of olive oil)
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (optional, use as much as you’d like!)
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves divided
- 2 dry pints grape or cherry tomatoes halved lengthwise (about 1¼ pounds)
- 1 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 pounds fresh live mussels (up to 4 pounds, if desired) cleaned and debearded (See cleaning details below.)
- Salt to taste
- 1 pound linguine or other long pasta + salt for pasta water
- Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
- (Optional) 1–2 Tbsp softened, unsalted butter (for finishing)
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to the specifications above. Fill a large pot with water for the pasta and bring it to a boil while preparing the sauce. Once boiling, lower the heat as needed to hold the water at a gentle simmer until you're ready to cook the linguine.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Clean mussels: Inspect each mussel, remove any obvious surface debris with your hands or a potato brush, and pull out any “beards” (small hairy mass) that you see between the shells. (Use a paper towel or cloth if necessary to grab hold of the beard.) Discard any mussels that are cracked or don't close when tapped. Rinse them under cold water. (See Notes below for additional mussel info.)3 pounds fresh live mussels (up to 4 pounds, if desired)
- Cook aromatics. Combine the olive oil, garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium low heat and cook until the garlic starts to soften and turn lightly golden and the anchovies have dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to break up the anchovies with a wooden utensil as they cook. Stir in half the chopped parsley after a couple minutes.NOTE: You can use some anchovy oil here, if desired.3 Tbsp olive oil, 3-4 Tbsp chopped or thinly sliced garlic, 3 anchovy fillets or 2-3 tsp anchovy paste, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- Cook tomatoes. Next, add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium. Cook another 5-8 minutes, partially covered, or until the tomatoes begin to break down a bit, stirring a few times. (You can help this along by gently crushing some tomatoes with a large fork or potato masher. Don’t overcrush them, though, as some chunky pieces adds great texture to the final dish.)2 dry pints grape or cherry tomatoes
- Deglaze. Then, pour the wine in the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Add the black pepper. Bring the wine to a light simmer and simmer until the wine has reduced slightly and the flavors have mellowed, about 3-5 minutes.1 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Cook mussels. Carefully add the cleaned mussels to the simmering sauce. Stir gently and distribute them evenly across the surface of the pan. Cover, lower the heat to medium-low and let them steam, shaking the pan and gently stirring a few times as they cook.NOTE: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the mussels in batches, as 3 pounds may be too much to accommodate at once.
- As the mussels open, check that the meat is opaque and firm but still tender. Then transfer them to a bowl with tongs one-by-one. Replace the cover and continue cooking the remaining mussels until done, about 5–10 minutes total, depending on their size and the heat level. Discard any mussels that remain closed after cooking.Be sure to leave all that delicious mussel cooking liquid in the pan! It adds incredible flavor to the sauce.
- Cook pasta. Once the mussels have finished cooking, add salt and the linguine to the boiling water, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for approximately 2 minutes less than the package directions, or until just short of al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1½ cups of the starchy pasta water before draining. (You may not need it all.)1 pound linguine
- Shell mussels. While the pasta is cooking, remove approximately ¾ of the cooked mussels from their shells, leaving the rest intact for presentation. Set all the mussels aside until you're ready to finish the pasta. (See Notes below regarding serving the mussels in their shells.)
- Finish sauce. While the linguine is cooking, return the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt only if necessary. Keep the shelled mussels aside for now so they don't overcook.
- Combine pasta with sauce. When the pasta is ready, transfer it to the simmering tomato and mussel sauce along with the shelled mussels and about ½ cup of the reserved starchy pasta water (to start). Increase the heat to medium, if necessary, to maintain a gentle simmer. Toss well to combine and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing all those wonderful flavors! Add additional pasta water as needed to keep the sauce loose and silky.
- Finish pasta and serve. Once the linguine is al dente, turn off the heat, fold in the remaining parsley and drizzle a healthy glug of high-quality olive oil over everything and stir. Toss gently, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary, then transfer to a serving platter. Arrange the reserved mussels in their shells on top and serve immediately. Buon Appetito!NOTE: If you’d like more of a silky, restaurant-style finish, add a couple pats softened, room temperature butter and mix in. Note that the dish will no longer be dairy-free if you do this.
Notes
Mussels:
- Mussel Quantity: I recommend 3 pounds of mussels for this recipe, which makes six generous servings. However, since mussels are often sold in 2-pound bags, feel free to use 4 pounds if you'd prefer not to have an extra pound left over–or if you just love lots of mussels like I do! There's no need to increase the other ingredients. Just be sure to use a large enough pan to accommodate all the mussels without overcrowding, or cook them in batches if necessary. The cooking time may increase slightly, especially if cooking in batches. Since additional mussels will release more liquid, adjust the amount of reserved pasta water you add when finishing the dish.
- Selecting: Choose fresh, live mussels with intact shells and a fresh, clean ocean smell. At the grocery store or fish market, look for mussels that are properly refrigerated or displayed on ice. Avoid mussels with cracked or broken shells. If any are open, gently tap them and discard those that don't close.
- Storing: Ideally, cook live mussels the day you purchase them or within 1–2 days, following the package's use-by date. If you're not cooking them immediately, place them in a colander set over a bowl with ice underneath and, if desired, some ice on top. This allows any melting ice to drain away so the mussels aren't sitting in water. Cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel and refrigerate at 40°F or below, without allowing them to freeze. Never store live mussels in an airtight container or submerged in water, as they need to breathe.
- Cleaning: Most commercially sold mussels are farm-raised and arrive fairly clean. Inspect them, scrub away any debris and remove any beards before rinsing under cold running water. There's generally no need to purge farm-raised mussels as you would clams. (See Frequently Asked Questions above for more details.)
- Cooking: Steam the mussels in the covered pan for approximately 5-10 minutes, or until the shells open and the mussels are fully cooked. Remove them as they finish cooking to prevent overcooking, and discard any that remain closed after cooking.
- Serving: Removing the mussels from their shells before combining them with the pasta is a personal decision. After years of serving this dish with all the mussels still in their shells, I now remove about ¾ of them and mix the mussel meat directly into the sauce, leaving the rest in their shells for presentation. It makes the dish so much easier to eat!
- Use a large pot with 5–6 quarts of water for 1 pound of pasta. Bring the water to a boil before adding salt. Salt the pasta water a little less generously than usual, since the mussels and anchovies will add plenty of flavor and saltiness to the sauce.
- The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
