Mussel Pate on the Shell

Hi again! Today I cooked this recipe for you all. This dish is a delicious starter for a dinner and it is very easy to prepare. Galician seafood is worldwide known. The farming system for the production of mussel in Galicia is called "batea". This is a floating rectangular structure made of wood with several ropes attached, where mussels seeds grow. Mussel is highly consumed in Spain and it is a natural source of iron and B-group vitamins. Since I moved to the UK I have been using Scottish live mussels for my recipes and the result has been amazing too.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

500 g. live mussels

1 small onion

300 g. passata (mashed) tomato

100 ml. extra virgin olive oil

100 g. breadcrumbs

Salt

Difficulty and cooking time:

Easy

45 minutes

Method:

Scrub and wash the mussels. Place them in a large pot with salt. Cover with lid and cook them over a high fire until they are done (about 3 minutes).

You don't need to add any water. The resulting steam is enough to cook the mussels.

Leave to cool for 5 minutes.

In the meantime chop the onion.

Remove mussels and place them on a dish, saving the shells for later.

Place the mussels, the mashed/ passata tomato and the chopped onion in a large bowl or jar.

Beat well using a blender.

Put the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the resulting mixture. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

Put the mussel pate on the shells using a spoon and place the shells on a baking tray.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, preheat the oven to 200ºC  and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes using the grill too.

And now our dish is ready.

Place the mussel shells on a dish and serve hot.

I hope you like this recipe.

See you soon,

María