TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Cozze alla MarinaraNeapolitan Mussels Marinara
A Neapolitan seafood appetizer of mussels steamed with tomatoes, white wine, garlic and flat-leaf parsley. True to its name, “sailor-style,” it prepares the sea’s bounty simply.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (2 servings)
- MusselsRemove beards and scrub the shells800 g
- Cherry tomatoesHalved200 g
- GarlicCrushed3 cloves
- White wine100 ml
- Extra virgin olive oil40 ml
- Flat-leaf parsleyFinely chopped8 g
- Dried chili1
Method
Prepare the mussels and tomatoes
- 1 Pull out the mussels’ beards, or byssal threads, and scrub the shells with a stiff brush.
- 2 Discard any mussels that remain open and will not close.
- 3 Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- 4 Finely chop the flat-leaf parsley.
Ready when
Continue when no cracked or persistently open mussels remain among the prepared ones.
Release the garlic and chili aromas
- 1 Heat 40 ml olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, add the crushed garlic and chili and cook for 1–2 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the garlic smells fragrant and its edges are lightly colored.
Cook the tomatoes and add wine
- 1 Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, then add the white wine.
Ready when
Continue when the tomato skins begin to break down and the wine aroma rises.
Steam the mussels open
- 1 Add the mussels, cover and steam over high heat for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.
Ready when
Continue when all the mussels have opened.
Plate and finish
- 1 Remove any mussels that have not opened, transfer the mussels and their cooking juices to deep plates and scatter with flat-leaf parsley.
- 2 Serve while the meat remains in the shells and the cooking liquid is hot.
About this dish
Marinara means “sailor-style” in Italian, referring to simple cooking by fishers and sailors using ingredients close at hand. Mussels were plentiful in the Bay of Naples, and this dish is said to have begun when fishers combined them with tomatoes, garlic and oil they brought home.
The most important part of preparing mussels is removing the beards, or byssal threads. Pulling out the black fibrous strands protruding from the shell seam makes them easier to eat. Mussels that do not open may have died before cooking and should be removed.
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