These Chilli Mussels are almost scandalously easy to make and this dish is certainly the cure for a dull Sunday afternoon.
I never really buy mussels. I’m not sure why. I really do love them. I didn’t buy these… They were the spoils of a goodie bag from a foodie event the other night. Who knew you could get vacuum packed mussels?
Now, when opening anything vacuum packed, the smell will race out of the bag and smack you in the face like a woman you’ve just called ‘fat’. These kinda stink. They are not off, but the smell is off. I learnt my lesson, however, that things in vacuum packs develop a strong aroma during the Pork Mince Experience of Christmas 2012. I opened the pack and it stank to high Heaven. I instantly called my chef friend in a panic… “Should my pork mince stink?!” He calmed me down and basically said, ‘yes’, and that if it is stinky it means it was a male pig. That figures.
Ingredients
- 500g mussels
- 2 cans chopped tomato
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 birdseye chillies
- splash Tabasco
- splash habanero pepper sauce
Method
- Take two cans of chopped tomatoes and tip them into a big pot. Add as much freshly minced garlic as you can handle (I did about 4 cloves) and chop up a couple of birdseye chillies (seeds in) and throw it all in the pot.
- Then it is a random game of splashing in Tabasco and extra crazy hot Habanero Pepper sauce at will.
- Heat until the mixture bubbles and then pour in the mussels. I used about 500g, and remember a lot of that weight is in the shells. Let the mussels simmer in the sauce for about 7 minutes. Discard any shells that do not open. This is not a hard and fast rule, but use your own discretion at to whether they are good or bad.
- Fill up a big ol’ bowl and slice some rustic bread for dipping and you’re set. Awesomeness.
