As you can see from the photo, we frequently make clams and mussels and serve both.
If you have any juice or shellfish leftover, just remove the clams or mussels from their shells and store in the extra juice. You can then use this to make seafood pasta the next day. You may need to add a bit more marinara sauce if it’s too thin.
Looking for a different seafood appetizer? Try one of these:
Spicy Steamed Mussels
This impressive appetizer doesn't disappoint and doesn't take much time to make. Usually, you'll have all the ingredients you need, except for the mussels and clams, of course.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs mussels and clams whole
- 2 Tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup parsley fresh
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup tomato or marinara sauce
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 baguette
Instructions
- Soak mussels in cold water for about 10 minutes or so to clean and rinse off any salt.
- Finely chop garlic and parsley.
- Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or stock pot. When hot, add garlic and parsley, then crushed red pepper. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Add mussels, stir to coat with oil mixture. Add wine and tomato sauce.
- Cover and let steam until mussels have opened, about 6-8 minutes or so. If there are any mussels that did not open, throw them out.
- Slice baguette and broil slices for a few minutes on each side so they are toasted.
- Serve the mussels in a large bowl. Guests can put a slice of the toasted bread on the bottom of their bowl then spoon the mussels on top. The juice from the mussels makes a lovely sauce for the bread.
Notes
Cleaning mussels
If the mussels are fresh, check to make sure all the mussels are closed. If there are open mussels, tap them with a fingernail, or lightly against a counter. If they do not close, discard the mussel. Open mussels are a sign that they are either dead or dying and they should be tossed out. Â
Soak the closed mussels in cold water. If the shells are dirty, you can scrub the shells with a vegetable brush.
Remove and discard the beard, the stringy fibers that come through the shell. Just grab the beard and pull toward where the shells connect.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 18gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 642mgPotassium: 487mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 489IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!