(see96)MEJILLONES A LA MARINERA

SAILORS’ SPICY MUSSELS

The Galician seaboard not only provides Spain with over a quarter of its national fish catch, but also gives the region the damp, misty weather that makes warming dishes particularly appreciated in its cooking.

SERVES 4

1.4 kg (3 lb) large mussels
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
tiny pinch of cayenne pepper or mild chilli powder
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
125 ml (4 fl oz) dry white wine
salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice


Cover the mussels in cold water and scrub the shells, discarding any that are smashed or do not shut when touched. Pull off all ‘beards’. Do not clean them too far ahead, as this removes their life support system and they die.

Heat the wine in a saucepan with a lid and add the mussels in 3- 4 batches. Cook briefly, covered, and remove them when they open, discarding any that remain shut. Reserve the liquid. Remove the top shell and arrange the biggest mussels in an ovenproof dish. Use a loose shell to cut the smaller bodies free and put 2 bodies in each shell.

For the sauce, fry the onion in the oil in a small pan, adding the garlic and then the flour when the onion softens. Cook briefly. Meanwhile boil the mussel liquid down to about 175 ml (6 fl oz), then add it to the pan with the bay leaf. Bring to simmering point, taste and add the tomato paste, paprika, cayenne and a little salt and lemon juice, as needed. Strain the sauce through a sieve then pour it over the mussels and heat them briefly (5 minutes under a low grill or in a medium oven). As the mussels are distinctly spicy, Spain’s best-known lager, San Miguel, which has plenty of flavour of its own, would make a good thirst-quencher.