Best Mussels With Dynamite Sauce Recipes

MUSSELS IN SPICY RED SAUCE

Mussels in Spicy Red Sauce image

I love this dish, which is often called "Mussels Fra Diavolo", because my Italian Grandmother made it often, especially around the holidays. The lusty combination of mussels and spicy red sauce is irresistible. It's Italian-American comfort food. Forget about serving this with pasta, you absolutely must have a loaf of crusty, chewy Italian or French bread to dip in the sauce. Make sure to put an empty bowl on the table to accommodate the shells. For equipment you will need a large (10 to 12 inch) high sided saute pan (sauteuse) or a 6 to 6 quart pot with a tight fitting lid, a large spoon, and a Chinese wire mesh skimmer or slotted spoon. Red Sauce: I know my red sauce. My credentials: I grew up at the Jersey Shore, I had an Italian grandmother and I worked as a cook at Marenzi Restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco, back in the 1970's. This recipe is one for you to keep. My Napolitano red sauce is a great building block to making all sorts of dishes. It can be used to for a quick pasta dinner or for simmering fresh squash and/or bell peppers and onion. You can also use this red sauce as a base to make a "fra diavolo" with mussels, lobster or other sea food, even with leftovers and serve with rice or pasta. The most important concept in making this sauce is to really brown (caramelize) the onions and carrots, creating a natural sweetness that balances with the acidic tomatoes. For equipment you will need a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, and a wooden spoon.

Provided by Food Network

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup white wine
2 cups Red Sauce or Fra Diavlo Sauce, recipes follow
3 pounds medium mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
Two 35-ounce cans plum tomatoes in juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 head (about 12 medium cloves) garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium onions (about 12 ounces), cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 cups Red Sauce, recipe above
One 8-ounce bottle clam juice
Kosher or sea salt

Steps:

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.
Add the mussels and replace the lid. Cook over high heat 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once gently. Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and firmly cooked, about 4 minutes more.
Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl with a Chinese wire mesh skimmer. Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high. Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and place your (clean) hands in the bowl and crush the tomatoes so they breakup into a range of small pieces.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat until it is fragrant, but before it smokes, about 40 seconds. Add the bay leaves and stir them in the oil until they begin to brown, about 10 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the onions, carrots, and oregano. Cook the vegetables until they are very brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, just enough to prevent them from scorching.
Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, salt and pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water, (white wine or clam juice can be added depending on the intended use) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered until the sauce level has reduced by 2 or 3 inches and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cook the sauce for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
Remove from heat, cool down in the pot, then when at room temperature, transfer to a sealed plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
This sauce will keep 10 days in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator.
Using my recipe for basic Red Sauce, you can make a quick and spicy "fra diavolo" sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled squid and other seafood. For equipment you will need a 3-quart saucepan and a wooden spoon.
Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan slightly over medium heat and saute the garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 40 seconds.
Add the Red Sauce, clam juice, and salt, to taste, and simmer, stirring occasionally over medium-low heat, until the sauce returns to the thickness and quantity of the Red Sauce, about 15 minutes.

MUSSELS WITH DYNAMITE SAUCE

Mussels With Dynamite Sauce image

Make and share this Mussels With Dynamite Sauce recipe from Food.com.

Provided by ChamoritaMomma

Categories Mussels

Time 35m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 7

Ingredients

2 dozen frozen mussels on the half shell, thawed
1 1/2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 cup japanese mayonnaise, Kewpie brand
1 -1 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce or 1 -1 1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons masago smelt roe
instant dashi stock, pellets
fresh lemon, for garnish

Steps:

Pre-heat your broiler or toaster oven to 350 degrees.
Detach mussels from the shell and replace back. Arrange them in the same way on the baking pan. Set aside as you prepare the sauce.
To prepare the sauce, first drop a pinch of the Hon Dashi pellets in a medium bowl and dissolve completely with the half and half.
Then add the Kewpie mayo. Combine the mixture with a spoon until smooth. Add the Sriracha or chili sauce and fully incorporate it into the sauce.
Do a taste test here. If you would like the sauce to be hotter, add a little more Sriracha or chili sauce. If you want it to be milder, add a few squirts of Kewpie mayo. If you think you've added too much mayo, you can thin the mixture slightly with a few drops of half and half.
The consistency of the sauce should be like pancake batter or a softened milk shake.
Once you've reached this stage, add the roe and stir slowly to distribute it evenly into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over each mussel. Put just enough to cover the meat completely.
Place the mussels under the broiler or toaster oven to cook.
Check frequently and rotate the pan occasionally to even out the browning. Cook until the sauce bubbles and gets golden brown with a few dark spots forming. The total cooking time should not exceed 15 minutes.
Serve immediately, squeeze some lemon juice on each as you are eating them. ENJOY!