Seafood brings wonderful and healthy variety to the diet. Rich in iodine, minerals and protein, mussels cook quickly, are very tasty, nutritious and easily absorbed by the body. Mussels stewed in tomato sauce go great with rice and pasta.

Seafood is one of the main components of the so-called “Mediterranean diet”, which helps residents of these countries stay slim and healthy for many years. It doesn’t hurt us to include fish and other sea creatures in the menu more often, especially since they are now quite accessible anywhere in the country. Therefore, today we are talking about how to cook mussels in tomato sauce.

Ingredients for mussels in tomato sauce with garlic recipe
Mussels, peeled	500 grams
Onion	1 medium head (100 grams)
Garlic	2-3 cloves
Tomatoes or tomato paste	2 large or 1.5 tablespoons
Olive oil	2 tablespoons
Basil	a few leaves
Parsley	a few twigs
Salt	to taste
Ground black pepper	to taste

Mussels in tomato sauce recipe with photos

We thoroughly wash the mussels under running water to remove sand and dirt. Place in a colander and let the water drain.

Peel the onion and chop finely. Also finely chop two or three cloves of garlic.

Fry the onion and garlic in a frying pan in olive oil until golden brown.

Place the mussels in a frying pan with the onions and garlic. Simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

We process the tomatoes as usual: make a cross-shaped cut, pour boiling water over them for 5 minutes, then pour over them with cold water, remove the skin, remove the seeds, and chop the pulp into small cubes with a knife. You can make the task easier and take ready-made tomato paste. We dilute it in cold water (you will need about 1.5 cups).

Place the tomato pieces on the mussels or pour the mussels with tomato paste diluted in water and simmer for another 10 minutes over low heat. Salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, add some finely chopped parsley and green basil for flavor, and let it sit under the lid.

Today we will talk about how to make an unusual, but very tasty snack that will be loved not only by gourmets. From our article you will learn how to fry mussels in a frying pan, frozen and fresh, we will find out what is needed for this and what products they go best with. Here is a selection of simple and quick recipes that have been tested by housewives from different countries and have taken root in our region.

How to fry mussels correctly: cooking rules

But, before we start cooking, let’s remember how to properly fry shellfish.

• If the mussels are fresh, you can throw them into the pan immediately, without prior preparation;
• If we have frozen raw materials, the shells must first be thawed, otherwise there will be too much water and the mussels will turn out not fried, but stewed. It is best to defrost clams outdoors at room temperature, allowing them to drain in a colander or large sieve.
• Shellfish can be fried either peeled or in shells, but they will vary greatly, so we choose the method depending on the recipe and personal preferences.
• Shells go especially well with butter - it gives a delicate aroma and makes the taste richer and softer, but they will also be good with olive or refined sunflower oil.

Mussels in a frying pan: a classic recipe

Ingredients

• Mussels, fresh or frozen, peeled— 500 g + -
• - 2 tbsp. + -
• — 1 pc. + -
• - on the tip of a knife + -
• — 3 pinches or to taste + -

How to fry peeled mussels in a frying pan

1. Peel and finely chop the onion, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the vegetable to sauté.
2. After 2-3 minutes, add the mussels to the onion and fry without a lid for 10 minutes.
3. 3 minutes before the end of frying, add salt and pepper. Stir and turn off.

Serve this appetizer piping hot or letting it cool. In any case, the shellfish will turn out very tasty thanks to the combination of onions and butter.

Mussels fried in a frying pan with mushrooms are even more tender and aromatic.

How to fry mussels in a frying pan with mushrooms

• Defrost 400 g of peeled mussels.
• Waiting until all the liquid has drained from them, we work on the mushrooms. Wash 400 g of champignons and cut into slices or cubes, but not too finely.
• Pour 2 tbsp into the pan. olive oil, first lay out the mushrooms, keep them over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated, then add the mussels to them.
• Add salt, stir and fry for another 5 minutes.
• After time, add a little black pepper, paprika and basil (optional). The dish can also be seasoned with nutmeg. Keep everything on the fire for a couple more minutes and turn it off.

Serve immediately or let it cool, either way the dish will turn out very tasty!

Well, real gourmets will surely like the following recipe. It makes the shells incredibly tender and piquant.

How to properly fry mussels with vegetables in a frying pan

• Defrost 300 g of mussels or, if they are fresh, start working with vegetables.
• Peel and chop one medium onion. Pour oil into the frying pan and sauté the vegetable.
• Meanwhile, finely chop or pass through a press 3 cloves of garlic.
• While the roast is browning, scald 3 medium tomatoes with boiling water. Peel them and cut them into cubes, reserving all the juice. Add to the pan with the onions and simmer covered for about 5 minutes.
• Place the mussels, pepper, salt and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Turn off the finished dish and serve immediately piping hot. If desired, the dish can be sprinkled with herbs.

Now you know how to fry mussels in a frying pan! As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this; on the contrary, such a seemingly sophisticated appetizer is made very simply. In addition, you can experiment with a dish according to any of the proposed recipes by adding green onions instead of onions, bell peppers, cilantro or zucchini. Mussels in a frying pan will add a wonderful taste and aroma to any vegetables!

Step 1: prepare the mussels.

First of all, we prepare the mussels; if you bought frozen, peeled ones, then put them in a bowl of cold running water directly in the package and leave them in it for 30–40 minutes thaw, if you bought fresh ones, you’re lucky. We immediately print them out, thoroughly rinse the seafood to remove any sand, place them in a colander to drain off any remaining liquid, and keep them there until ready to use.

Step 2: prepare tomatoes and garlic.

Meanwhile, put a kettle full of regular running water on high heat. Next, wash the tomatoes and dry them with paper kitchen towels. Then, using a kitchen knife, we make a cross-shaped cut on each tomato, place them in a deep bowl and after a while pour boiling water over them.

Blanch tomatoes in hot water one minute, after that, using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl with cold water and let them cool.

Next, remove the skins from the tomatoes.

Place the pulp into a clean blender bowl and grind it at the highest speed until it becomes a homogeneous puree.

Then peel the garlic cloves and finely chop them on a clean cutting board. Then we put the remaining ingredients that will be needed to prepare the dish on the kitchen table and proceed to the next step.

Step 3: cook mussels in tomato sauce.

Place a deep frying pan or non-stick saucepan with a thick bottom over medium heat and pour in vegetable oil. After a couple of minutes, add chopped garlic and fry it for 1 minutes stirring with a wooden kitchen spatula.

Then add ground tomato puree and wine vinegar to it, bring everything to a boil and cook 10–12 minutes.

After the required time has passed, season the almost finished sauce to taste with salt, ground black pepper, dried basil and simmer for several minutes.

Then we put mussels into the resulting mixture, cover our dish with a lid and cook it some more 5 minutes. Then turn off the stove and infuse the aromatic dish 3–4 minutes, arrange it in portions on plates and serve it to the table.

Step 4: Serve mussels in tomato sauce.

Mussels in tomato sauce are served both hot and cold. Usually this dish is considered a snack, but on fasting days you can serve it as a main dish, with any side dish you like, for example, mashed potatoes, pasta, rice. As an addition, you can offer sliced ​​bread and fresh vegetable salad. Enjoy delicious and simple food!
Bon appetit!

You don’t have to grind the tomato pulp, but simply cut it into small cubes;

Sometimes peeled shrimp, crab meat and squid are added to the mussels;

The set of spices is not important; sometimes other spices are used, for example ground mustard, marjoram, dried dill, ginger, coriander, cardamom;

Very often, fresh tomatoes are replaced with canned ones in their own juice;

You can fry the garlic with finely chopped onions and then add tomato puree to them.

Pasta with mussels and tomatoes is perfect for dinner. You can also prepare pasta for friendly gatherings, but only for seafood lovers. The main thing is not to overcook the mussels in the pan, otherwise they will turn out hard (“rubbery”). Use any pasta made from durum wheat, then the finished dish will have a neat, appetizing appearance. Before serving, the dish can be decorated with any hard grated cheese or chopped herbs.

Ingredients

• 150 g mussels
• 100 g paste
• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 20 g butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/5 tsp. ground black pepper
• fresh herbs before serving

Preparation

1. Thaw the mussels for the dish at room temperature. Also, if desired, you can use marinated mussels with various additives - the taste of the finished dish can be even more original. At the same stage, cook pasta, such as fusilli, in salted boiling water. Cook for about 7 minutes after the water boils again - the pasta should be al dente. Drain the water.

2. Tomatoes for the dish must be peeled. Wash the vegetables and make cross-shaped cuts on top, lower them into boiling water for 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and cut into slices.

3. After peeling the tomatoes, cut them into small cubes.

4. Now you need to flavor the butter. To do this, melt a piece in a frying pan and place garlic slices in it. Fry it until golden brown, but do not overcook it, otherwise a burnt smell and taste will appear. Remove the fried garlic from the pan.

5. Place the mussels in the frying pan and fry for just a minute, stirring, over medium heat.

6. Place the tomatoes in the pan and fry for another minute, stirring.

Mussels are edible marine mollusks from the bivalve family, which, along with oysters, have commercial significance. Mussels are a very valuable seafood product, almost as good in taste as oysters. Mussels are rich in vitamins, microelements and healthy fatty acids. You can prepare various tasty and healthy dishes from them, for example, you can fry them.

How to cook mussels?

The recipe is simple - fried mussels with onions and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• mussels;
• vegetable oil;
• onions;
• fresh chicken eggs;
• tomatoes;
• lemon;
• a little butter;
• green.

Preparation:

Place the thoroughly washed mussels in a colander for a while, in the meantime heat the oil in a frying pan and, when the water has drained from the mussels, place them in the frying pan. First, the mussels will “release” the water and simmer in it over low heat. Stir them with a spatula. How many minutes to fry mussels? It depends on the time the water boils. After the water released by the mussels has boiled away, add a little oil to the pan and lightly fry them for a couple of minutes. Add heat to medium, carefully add chopped onion to the pan and fry everything until browned, carefully manipulating with a spatula. Mussels with onions are ready. In a separate frying pan, fry the tomato slices in natural butter (you can use melted butter - it will be tastier). Add the eggs so that the yolk does not spread, and cover with a lid. We will fry over low heat until the yolks are covered with a thin white film. The eggs should be fried so that the yolk remains half-baked. Now you can serve everything to the table, having first sprinkled the mussels with lemon juice and garnished with sprigs of herbs. This dish is great to serve with a glass of white or rose table wine.

Fried mussels with garlic

Ingredients:

• 200 g peeled mussels;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (olive or sunflower);
• endive leaves;
• herbs (parsley, coriander, basil, rosemary);
• lemon.

Preparation:

How to cook mussels fried with garlic? Boil water in a saucepan and lower the mussels into it, boil them for 2-3 minutes, then drain in a colander and cool. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the mussels. Add garlic, chopped with a knife. Fry everything, stirring with a spatula or shaking the pan, for 1-2 minutes, no more. Place the finished mussels, fried with garlic, on a dish along with endive, sprinkle with lemon juice and garnish with sprigs of herbs. This delicacy can be served with boiled rice with a salad of fresh tomatoes, black and green olives, and cheese (mozzarella, feta, and feta cheese are suitable). You can serve table light or strong unsweetened light wine or dark beer.

Frozen shellfish

How to fry frozen mussels? This question interests everyone who lives far from the sea. To begin with, if the mussels are peeled, you need to defrost them in a container with cold water, then rinse thoroughly and drain in a colander. Then you can cook: marinate, boil, stew, fry. Any treatment lasts no more than a few minutes. If the mussels are closed in their shells, then throw them into boiling water, they will open in a few seconds. You can, of course, open the shells with a knife.

Frozen mussels recipe

Ingredients:

• 200-300 g thawed mussels;
• 1 onion;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 1 lemon;
• a little vegetable oil;
• 30-50 ml white wine;
• a little Dijon mustard with grains;
• lemon;
• greens (basil, coriander, rosemary).

Preparation:

Thinly slice the peeled onion into rings. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion over medium-high heat until a beautiful pale golden color appears. Add mussels and garlic chopped with a knife to the pan, fry everything for 2-4 minutes. Pour in the wine and add mustard. Let's wait another minute. Place the finished mussels with onions in wine-mustard sauce on a dish and garnish with sprigs of herbs. As a side dish you can serve a salad of tomatoes with cheese and olives, rice, pickled eggplants, stewed asparagus, boiled green beans, broccoli. You can choose any unsweetened and non-red wine for this dish.