Mussels Fra Diavolo

Living in Seattle has many, many perks. One of the best is access to the best quality fish & shellfish around. My personal favorites are Mussels, Oysters and Wild Salmon – easy to find, sustainable harvested or caught and usually pretty affordable.

Since I let you in on my little Costco addiction the other day, I have to tell you that if you live in the Seattle area, Costco has (roughly) 5-pound bags of Taylor Shellfish Farms Mussels for less than $3 per pound. I have seen these same Mussels for about $5 per pound at Pike Place and $6 per pound at Whole Foods Market so if you need a large quantity, this is beyond a great deal!

It’s no secret that I like food with a kick and as a general rule tend to favor spicy dishes and dishes with intense flavor. When I set out to make these Mussels Fra Diavolo, I was thinking I would make them spicy but not so hot that kids wouldn’t be able to eat it. When all is said and done, this sauce is much hotter on it’s on then it is after the Mussels are cooked in it and served. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being Spicy, I would say this is a 4. That is, of course, coming from someone who loves spice so if you are spice-adverse, maybe a 6?

Regardless, this is so good and a fun dish to serve at a dinner party, family dinner or a special weekend meal. Enjoy!

NOTES:

• If you are not familiar with How to Debeard, Clean and Store Mussels, here is a guide on How To Cook Mussels that breaks it down!
• There are a lot of options when it comes to San Marzano tomatoes out there. This site has an excellent breakdown of brands and quality.
• You could easily make this sauce ahead of time and freeze it in a glass container until ready to use to save time!
• You could also easily make this sauce, freeze half and cut the mussels in half!
• I served this family-style as a meal for six adults without any side dishes so everyone had a huge bowl of mussels with sauce. You could easily make this an appetizer for 10 to 12.

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Mussels Fra Diavolo

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins

 

11 Points Plus Per Serving -- Based on 6 (very large) Servings

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Mussels Fra Diavolo Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 336 kcal

Author: Alyssa Brantley

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

For The Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 head garlic cloves peeleed, smashed and minced
• 2 large yellow onions chopped
• 2 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 dried red chiles
• 2 cans cans San Marzano whole peeled plum tomatoes crushed by hand
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 8 ounce bottle clam juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut palm sugar

For the mussels:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 shallots finely chopped
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 pounds Mussels de-bearded and cleaned
• large handful flat-leaf parsley chopped for serving [img src="http://www.everydaymaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IMG_8968.jpg" width="550"]

Instructions

1. See "How to Debeard, Store & Clean Mussels by Becky Selengut" for how to properly prepare the Mussels for cooking.

2. Chop garlic, onion and carrot. I used the food processor and just pulsed each item separately until the desired consistency. About 1/4" chop but it doesn't have to be perfect. Measure tomato paste and set aside. Pull out spices, olive oil, tomatoes, clam juice, wine and palm sugar.

   

3. Pour whole, peeled tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl. Use your hands to gently squeeze each tomato and "crush" them by hand. Try to get all the really big pieces crushed but don't make yourself crazy about it.

   

4. Peel and finely chop shallots. Grab a large handful of parsley and roughly chop. Measure 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 cup of white wine. Set aside shallots, parsley, 1 T olive oil and 1 Cup wine for later when cooking the Mussels.

   

5. Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and then bay leaves. Cook for 30 seconds until sizzling.

   

6. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly.

   

7. Next, add in chopped carrot, onions, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and dried red chiles. Stir to coat and cook for 15 minutes until onions are browned and look like this.

   

8. Now, add in hand crushed tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, clam juice, 1/2 cup white wine, salt, pepper and sugar. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, partially cover and lower light to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

   

9. Remove from heat and discard dried chiles and bay leaves. Set aside and begin cooking the Mussels.

   

10. Heat a very large pan with high sides over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add chopped shallots and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

    

11. Pour in remaining 1 cup white wine and Fra Diavolo Sauce. Bring to a boil.

    

12. Once boiling, gently add Mussels, stir to coat, cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until most of the shells are opened.

    
13. Remove lid, serve hot with chopped parsley and Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Mussels Fra Diavolo

Amount Per Serving

Calories 336 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 43mg14%

Sodium 1638mg71%

Potassium 1080mg31%

Carbohydrates 28g9%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 4170IU83%

Vitamin C 34.7mg42%

Calcium 130mg13%

Iron 8.5mg47%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Inspired By: Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce from Emeril Live on the Food Network