Recipe

White wine mussels with pearl couscous

Seasoned and cooked in a white wine broth, these scrumptious mussels could find the fresh seafood lover in anyone.

Feb 26, 2020 1:00pm
  • 15 mins preparation
  • 20 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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Ingredients

Mussels with white wine and vegetables
  • 1 cup (250ml) dry white wine
  • 1 kilogram black mussels, scrubbed, beards removed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium (150g) brown onion, chopped finely
  • 2 stalk (300g) celery, trimmed, chopped finely
  • 30 gram butter
  • 400 gram baby (dutch) carrots, sliced thinly on the diagonal
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup (150g) pearl couscous, rinsed
  • ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  • 3 cups (750ml) fish stock
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • chargrilled sourdough, to serve

Method

Mussels with white wine and vegetables
  • 1
    Bring wine to the boil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mussels; cook, covered, for 8 minutes or until mussels open. Drain mussels in a colander over a large heatproof bowl; reserve cooking liquid. Cover mussels loosely with foil; set aside until required.
  • 2
    Heat oil in same pan over medium heat; cook onion, celery and carrot, stirring, for 3 minutes or until onion softens. Add tomato paste, pearl couscous and chilli; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add stock and reserved cooking liquid; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes or until couscous is tender.
  • 3
    Return mussels to pan; cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until warmed through.

Notes

Pearl couscous is from Israel (it is also called Israeli couscous) and is made by forming semolina flour into balls. It has a mild flavour and pleasant chewy texture. Some mussels might not open after cooking – these may not have cooked as quickly as the others – and some will not open even after excessive cooking. Do not discard these; just pry open carefully with a knife and cook a little more.

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