Maria’s Stuffed Mussels are not only delicious but when an Italian purist next turns around, shakes their head disdainfully and says “ma no no no we don’t eat fish and cheese together” you can turn around and say well these beauties are the speciality of Maria, cook on Trabocco Punta Tufano, so mussel off!

They are probably the most flavoursome version of stuffed mussels I’ve tried whilst in Abruzzo, learnt on a day’s fish cookery course with Italia Sweet Italia and despite being a little fiddly worth the effort even if you’re not eating them fanned by gentle Adriatic breezes on a trabocco.

Maria's Stuffed Mussels

Trabocco Punta Tufano

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Course Shellfish Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 12 Large Mussels
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Slices Stale Bread
• 2 tbs Parmesan grated
• 4 tbs Flat Leaf Parsley finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tomatoes
• Salt according to taste

Instructions

 

• Prepare the stuffing by rubbing the slices of bread into fine breadcrumbs, mix in the Parmesan, egg, 1 clove of garlic very finely chopped, the parsley and and a tablespoon of olive oil.
• Tap the mussels and do not use if they don't close. Scrub them with a brush and de-beard the mussels, removing any which are chipped or broken. Soak the mussels in luke warm water as they slowly open insert the point of a knife into the opening cutting the muscle that attaches it to the shell. Open its shell a little but don't break its hinge.
• Fill the mussels with approximately a teaspoon of stuffing and then press them close.
• In a fying pan sauté the remaining clove of garlic in a generous amount of olive oil, add chopped parsley and your 2 tomatoes roughly chopped and add the mussels ontop. Cook for a minimum of 20 minutes.

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Author: Sam Dunham

Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 13 and juggles working as a freelance SEO copywriter & teaches IGCSEs at Istituo Cristo Re in Rome. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo and 'English in the Woods' initiative.