Great Chef Jasper White

Portuguese Mussels
Jasper White
Summer Shack
Boston MA

After harvesting mussels on the New England coast, Portuguese families would cook them like this right on the beach. Chef Jasper White taps into Portuguese traditions with this combination of mussels and spicy sausage.

Serves 4

Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
4 small whole bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and diced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup dry white wine
4 ounces chourico or linguica sausage, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mussels
48 to 50 fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To make the sauce: In a very large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil and add the bay leaves. Cook until they are lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are tender but now browned, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine, and sausage. Season with pepper, lower the heat, and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, to prepare the mussels: Add the mussels to the pan, cover, and cook until the mussels have opened, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the pan and open the mussels over the pan to retain their juices. Discard any mussels that do not open. Remove and discard one half of the shell and place the mussels in their half-shells into soup bowls. Return the pan to the heat, add the cilantro and parsley, and saute for 1 minute. Season again with pepper if desired.

To serve: Spoon the sauce over the mussels in each bowl and serve immediately.