If you’ve never made Mussels Marinara before, now is the time to discover what you’ve been missing. This healthy, zesty seafood recipe combines fresh mussels, garlic, tomatoes, and wine, plus a pinch of hot pepper.
Mussels Marinara is a classic Italian-American seafood dish, starring fresh mussels in their shells, fresh tomato sauce, white wine, garlic, and spicy red pepper. A quick simmer brings it all together, creating a rich broth perfect for dunking grilled bread or Focaccia.
Whenever I make tomato-rich mussels marinara, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. It is quick and easy and filled with fresh, zesty seafood flavor. My whole family loves it! It’s based on a southern Italian dish, but there are differences.
Somewhat confusingly, the Italian version of Mussels Marinara, Cozze alla Marinara, has no tomato. In fact, it’s a lot like this Steamed Mussels in White Wine Broth. In Italy, what we think of as Mussels Marinara is actually called Zuppa di Cozze, or “mussel soup.”
No matter what you call it, this fresh mussel recipe is a must-make. And if you’re new to cooking mussels, don’t worry. It’s easier than you might think—just follow my tips for buying and cleaning mussels. You’ll wonder why you waited so long!
Table of Contents
Mussels Marinara Ingredients
This is a simple but spectacular dish, made with pantry staples and easy-to-find ingredients: You’ll need:
- Mussels are the star of the show in this classic dish. You’ll need 3 pounds of mussels in the shell for this recipe.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Choose a good Italian olive oil that is fresh, with rich, buttery notes, like our Nocellara.
- Garlic: Four minced cloves—about 1 tablespoon—may sound like a lot, but trust me it’s the right amount to season this hearty-flavored stew. You’ll also need a whole clove of garlic, lightly crushed, to rub on the grilled bread.
- Red pepper flakes: A generous pinch of hot pepper adds zing.
- Tomatoes: One 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes forms the base for the mussel-infused broth. I like to give the tomatoes a quick blitz with the immersion blender to break them up, but you can use a potato masher or even your hands.
- White wine: A good splash of dry white wine—about ¾ cup—enhances the briny flavor of the mussel juices. Pinot Grigio, Soave, and French Chardonnay are all good choices.
- Parsley and basil: These two fresh herbs add color and zest to Mussels Marinara.
- Bread: You’ll need six slices of good Italian or country bread or focaccia, grilled or toasted, to soak up all the wonderful flavors.
Ingredient Spotlight
Mussels are inexpensive, abundant, and easy to clean and cook. Most mussels for sale at supermarkets and fishmongers are commercially raised. They grow on ropes that hang in the ocean, and since they never touch the ocean floor, they rarely contain grit—unlike wild-harvested mussels, which can be “muddy” with grit and ocean floor debris.
Mussels are alive when you buy them. They typically come packed in mesh bags—you might see these bags tucked into a bed of ice at the seafood department of your local supermarket or fish market.
- Check the date. To determine their freshness, look for a tag with the harvest and sell-by dates, or ask your fishmonger.
- Inspect the mussels. Even if the mussels are in a mesh bag, give them a good look. Make sure there are no broken shells and that the mussels smell fresh—briny like the sea, not fishy.
- Store them properly. I always buy them the same day I plan to cook them, as they are perishable. If necessary, you can store them for a day or two in the refrigerator.
- Never store mussels in water. They need air to breathe. Instead, remove them from their mesh bag and place them in a colander set over a bowl.
- Cover them lightly with a damp cloth or paper towel.
- Refrigerate until it’s time to cook them—preferably the same day and no more than two days.
Tips for Cleaning Mussels
Cultivated mussels are generally clean and mostly devoid of grit and “beards,” those tangles of fibers you sometimes see near the hinge where the mollusk’s shells meet. But you still need to give them a good cleaning.
- Check each mussel to make sure the shell is tightly closed.
- If any are open, lightly tap them with your fingernail or against the countertop. They should close immediately, meaning they are alive.
- Throw away any that do not close.
- Remove any “beards.” Occasionally you'll find a mussel that needs to be debearded. To do this, simply grasp the beard with your fingers and yank downwards towards the hinge of the shell. The fibers should come off easily. If not, just snip them off with kitchen scissors.
- Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush to remove any stubborn grit.
- Rinse the mussels under cold running water. I place them in a colander and move them around gently with my hands. Your mussels are now ready to cook!
How to Make Mussels Marinara
Once you’ve cleaned the 3 pounds of mussels, easy dinner recipe comes together quickly. Here’s how to make it.
- Get your ingredients ready: Mince 4 garlic cloves and crush and peel one garlic clove. Next, crush one 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes into rustic chunks, with an immersion blender, potato masher, or by hand. Once that is finished, prepare a ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and 5 to 8 fresh basil leaves. Place 6 slices of bread on a rimmed baking sheet and brush the tops with olive oil.
- Sauté the garlic and red pepper. Put ¼ cup olive oil and the minced garlic in a large Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic softens slightly, and stir often to prevent it from browning, as this will make the garlic bitter. It should turn the palest gold, no more. Once the garlic has softened, stir in a generous pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Cook the tomatoes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook at a gentle simmer, lowering the heat, if needed, until the tomatoes have thickened a bit and turned a shade darker. This takes 10 to 15 minutes. Don’t let the tomatoes cook too long or they will lose their fresh flavor.
- Pour in the wine. Raise the heat again to bring the sauce to a simmer for a couple of minutes to cook off some of the alcohol.
- Cook the mussels. Tip them into the pot along with half the parsley and stir with a large spoon or spatula to coat them with tomato sauce. Cover the pot and allow the mussels to simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are fully opened. Once the mussels are ready, take the pot off the heat and stir in the remaining parsley and the basil.
- Broil the bread. While the mussels simmer, turn on your oven’s broiler. Pop the bread under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is slightly charred around the edges and golden in the center. Remove from the oven and rub each slice with a lightly crushed garlic clove.
- Serve hot. Spoon the mussels into six shallow bowls and tuck a slice of garlic bread into each serving.
Ways to Mix it Up
This Mussels Marinara recipe is so accommodating that you can play around with variations:
- Add clams: Mussels and clams are natural partners. Replace one pound of the mussels with littleneck clams, adding them to the pot a minute or two before you add the mussels. Their shells are harder, so they take slightly more time to fully cook and open up.
- Roast peppers: I love adding either homemade roasted peppers or bottled. Chop up about 1 cup’s worth and add them to the sauce when you add the tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: To make the stew a little more substantial, toss in about 2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas. Chickpeas add protein and texture and their earthy flavor goes great with mussels.
What to Serve with Mussels Marinara
I like to serve Mussels Marinara as an entrée, so I always set a big salad on the table to go with it. This Big Easy Italian Salad is a perfect choice—it’s fresh, crunchy, and enlivened with bitter radicchio. Another option is this Antipasto Salad. Serve it as a first course, followed by the mussels.
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Mussels Marinara
Ingredients
- 6 thick slices Italian or country bread (optional)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bread
- 5 garlic cloves, 4 minced, 1 lightly crushed and peeled
- Generous pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with an immersion blender, potato masher, or by hand
- Kosher salt
- ¾ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, Soave, or French chardonnay)
- 3 pounds mussels, scrubbed
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 5 to 8 fresh basil leaves, torn
Instructions
- Get ready. If you’re serving with toast, place the sliced bread on a rimmed baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil.
- Start the sauce. Add the olive oil and minced garlic to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot with a lid. Set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is slightly softened and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes.
- Simmer the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and cook at a gentle simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have thickened slightly and turned a shade darker. Don’t let the tomatoes cook too much; you want to keep that fresh tomato flavor. Season with a pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon).
- Cook the mussels. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the wine, and let it bubble for 2 minutes. Add the mussels, stirring them around with a sturdy spoon to coat them with the sauce. Sprinkle in half the parsley and stir again. Cover the pot and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mussels have opened. You can lift the lid and give them a quick stir once or twice during cooking to check their progress.
- Grill the bread (optional). While the mussels are cooking, place an oven rack 4 to 6 inches below the broiler and turn the broiler on. Slide the baking sheet with the prepared bread under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bread is lightly charred around the edges and golden in the center. Remove from the oven and rub each slice with the crushed garlic clove.
- Add the finishing touches. If the majority of mussels have opened and a couple stragglers remain, discard them. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining parsley and the torn basil leaves.
- Serve. Spoon the mussels and tomato broth into shallow bowls and tuck in a slice of grilled bread with each serving (if using). Serve immediately.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- To clean the mussels:
- Throw away any that do not close.
- Remove any “beards.” Occasionally you'll find a mussel with long stringy fibers poking out of the shell, called the beard. Simply grasp the beard with your fingers and yank downwards towards the hinge of the shell. The fibers should come off easily. If not, just snip them off with kitchen scissors.
- Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush to remove any stubborn grit.
- Rinse the mussels under cold running water. I place them in a colander and move them around gently with my hands.Your mussels are now ready to cook!
- Calorie info does not include the optional bread.
Tomorrow will be the day, I love mussels and this recipe is one of the best I've seen! All in!!
Can't wait to hear what you think, Kathy!