TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Mejillones en escabecheMussels in Escabeche
Mussels are steamed, then rested in a marinade of aromatic vegetables, paprika, vinegar and oil. This chilled small plate retains the savoury flavour of the shellfish beneath its acidity.
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Mussels in their shellsScrub the shells and remove the beards1200 g
- Onion80 g
- Carrot60 g
- Garlic10 g
- Olive oil100 ml
- Sherry vinegar70 ml
- Dry white wine100 ml
- Sweet paprika3 g
- Bay leaf1 leaf
- Black pepper0.5 g
Method
Clean the mussels and cut the vegetables
- 1 Scrub 1.2 kg of mussels under running water and pull out the beards. Discard broken mussels and any that do not close when tapped.
- 2 Thinly slice 80 g of onion, cut 60 g of carrot into thin half-moons, and peel and crush 10 g of garlic.
Ready when
Continue when no dirt or beards remain on the shells.
Steam the mussels and remove the meat
- 1 Put the mussels and 100 ml of white wine in a heavy pot, cover and steam over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes.
- 2 Remove the mussels as they open and take the meat out of the shells. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and reserve 50 ml.
Ready when
Continue when the shells have opened and the meat is plump with no translucent areas.
Caution
Do not eat mussels that remain closed after cooking.
Make the vegetable and vinegar marinade
- 1 Put 30 ml of olive oil and the cut vegetables in a pot and cook over low heat for 8 minutes.
- 2 Turn off the heat and stir in 3 g of paprika. Add 70 ml of sherry vinegar, the reserved 50 ml of cooking liquid, the remaining 70 ml of oil, 1 bay leaf and 0.5 g of black pepper.
- 3 Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, add the mussel meat, warm for 1 minute and turn off the heat.
Ready when
Continue when the onion is tender and the mussels’ savoury flavour has blended into the marinade.
Refrigerate to let the acidity mellow
- 1 Transfer to a clean, shallow container. Once the initial heat has dissipated, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- 2 Remove the bay leaf and serve on small plates with the vegetables and marinade.
Ready when
It is ready when chilled to the centre and the meat has taken on the colour of the marinade.
Caution
This is not a shelf-stable preserve. Keep refrigerated and eat by the following day.
About this dish
In Galicia's coastal inlets, the rías, mussel-farming rafts known as bateas float on the water. These coastal workplaces grow mussels on ropes lowered into the sea from wooden frames.
Cultivation begins by collecting young mussels, attaching them to ropes and growing them in the sea. The producers’ work through to harvest sustains Galicia's mussels.
Mussels in escabeche season this shellfish with vinegar and oil. The word for a marinade used to preserve and flavour seafood and other foods also names the dishes prepared with it. Mussels raised in the inlets meet a method of cooking for preservation on a single plate.
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