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
Ingredients
- 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.
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
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ciao, io faccio le stesee cozze ripiene, il pane lo bagno all'acqua e poi lo stringo e metto gli stessi ingredienti e metto un bel cucchiaio di ripieno nelle cozze e le metto nel sughetto, le cozze ricrescono e se vedi che bel sapore da il sugo e poi faccio dei spaghetti o linguine e le cozze piene per secondo…..per iniziare il sughetto sfriggo olio e aglio e poi metto la salsa o pomodoro a pezzetti….
Next time I will try yours!
My husband and I just reserved to do the fish cookery course with Maria on the trabocco in October. Your experience was what initiated our effort to make it happen. Thanks!
You\’ll have an amazing time, I learnt loads and try not to drive so that you do justice to all the different wines to sample with each course
Yummie
voglio provarlo sembra buono
They were amazing and they’ve never been surpassed 🙂
and Roseto is a beautiful place!