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Mussels Escabeche

In this recipe, beautiful fresh mussels are cooked and then bathed and marinated in a combination of extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, and a few spices like pimenton and black peppercorns. Very simple, and amazing.
Serve these up on small crostini, or just eat them by themselves as a snack or appetizer!

Ingredients

  • 32oz fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded.
  • 1 cup high-quality (but lighter colored) extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 3 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 star anise pod
  • 1 tsp pimenton dulce, or sweet pimenton
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp high-quality white-wine vinegar

Instructions 

  • Discard any mussels with broken shells, or any mussels that do not close when tapped on the counter lightly.
  • *Anytime you are concerned about the quality of shellfish, it’s safer to err on the side of caution and discard any questionable mussels to avoid getting sick.
  • Locate the “beard” on the mussels. These are the small brown hairs that stick out from the side of each mussel.
  • Use a folded paper towel or kitchen towel (be advised, your kitchen towel will get dirty) to firmly pinch the “beard” close to the shell and firmly pull it out.
  • This “beard” is what the mussel uses to hold onto rocks or whatever it chooses to attach to. It is not pleasant to eat, and should be discarded.
  • When your mussels are debearded and scrubbed, throw them into a hot wide pot (like a Dutch oven or large saute pan) with a little olive oil.
  • Cook mussels until they have opened and place them in a bowl. You may find that some open earlier than others. As you see the first mussels fully open, simply remove them from the cooking pot using a pair of tongs and wait for the remainder to fully open.
  • Discard any mussels that won’t open when cooked, as they could be unsafe to eat.
  • Carefully remove the mussel flesh from the shell and set the cooked mussels aside. Discard the shells.
  • *At this stage, you will have a lot of wonderful mussel liquid that has been released when the shells open and is still in your cooking pot. You can save this mussel liquid for use to make a mussel stock or soup, a flavorful base for clam chowder, or reduce it down and add some butter and fresh parsley to make an amazing butter sauce to be served over fresh fish.
  • In a separate small sauce pot, combine the cup of high-quality (but lighter colored) extra virgin olive oil, the ten cloves of garlic, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, kosher salt, black peppercorns, star anise, and sweet pimenton and bring to a simmer.
  • Cook for ten minutes.
  • Remove from heat, and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and high-quality white wine vinegar.
  • While the liquid is still warm, pour over the cooked mussels and allow to cool.
  • Cover and store in the fridge for 2 days before eating, giving the mussels time to pickle and marinate in the infused and acidic liquid.

Notes

Some people will make their own mussels escabeche and actually go ahead and can them in a manner that safely preserves the mussels for over a year. While that preservation approach is beyond the scope of this article, you can find numerous resources and videos online. The same can be said for other small fish like anchovies—what an amazing preserved product.
If you are in the supermarket and find a decent brand of mussels escabeche in a tin can, buy a tin try them out! I didn’t discover them until my mid-thirties--they are just really delicious.
With this particular mussel recipe provided above, your mussels can be safely stored covered in the fridge for 5 days.