Family friendly French

Ben's baked mussels provencale

Name: Ben's baked mussels provencale
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: /french
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 30 large mussels, scrubbed, debearded; 3 garlic cloves; 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine; 4 small eschalots, finely chopped; 4 anchovy fillets, chopped; 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped; 1/2 dried red chilli, chopped; Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve; 350g rock salt; 4 slices stale bread, crusts removed; 2 teaspoons thyme leaves; 1/4 cup each of flat-leaf parsley leaves, tarragon leaves and chervil sprigs; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Rate now

25m

35m

Jump to recipe

by Ben O'Donoghue and Mark Gardner

Oct 03, 2015

An easy classic baked mussels dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil
30 large mussels, scrubbed, debearded
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
4 small eschalots, finely chopped
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 dried red chilli, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges to serve
350g rock salt

Herb crust

4 slices stale bread, crusts removed
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1/4 cup each of flat-leaf parsley leaves, tarragon leaves and chervil sprigs
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Method

1.

Process crust ingredients in a food processor to fine crumbs and set aside.
2.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add mussels, 1 sliced garlic clove and wine. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking occasionally, until mussels open (discard any unopened after this time). Remove from heat and strain, reserving liquid. Remove top shell from mussels and loosen meat.
3.

Preheat oven to 200°C.
4.

Heat remaining oil in a large pan and cook eschalots over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until soft. Finely chop remaining 2 garlic cloves, add to pan with anchovies and stir for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and chilli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Strain mussel liquid (except the last 1-2 tablespoons, which contains the most grit) through a fine sieve and add 1 cup to pan. Bring to the boil, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
5.

Spread the salt in a large ovenproof serving dish and sit mussels on top. Spoon sauce into shells, then top with crumbs. Bake for 5 minutes or until crust is crisp. Serve with lemon wedges.