Pickled Mussels

You can start getting ready because you're going to make homemade pickled mussels! Virginia, author of Sweet&Sour, gives you the recipe to make this delight, an ideal recipe for appetizers and salads.

Do you like canned mussels? Today we show you how to make them quickly at home, in the blink of an eye, saving us not only a few euros from our pocket, because as much as we may regret it, canned goods aren't especially cheap, but also all the preservatives and salts that these products include to reach the market.

Mussels are not only quite economical shellfish, but are packed with minerals like iron, and vitamins especially A, B12, B9 and C, as well as a significant protein load, which doesn't provide much fat and very few calories. Steamed they're delicious, but tell me you don't like those little tins of pickled mussels?

Few ingredients, the kind you already have in the pantry, 20 minutes and your pickled mussel preserve is ready. That said, choose a good extra virgin olive oil.

Luigi Bormioli airtight glass jars and Evolution round casserole Le Creuset.

Ingredients

• 2 kg of fresh mussels
• 250ml of white wine (albariño, txakolí)
• 250ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml of wine vinegar
• 125ml of the mussel cooking water previously strained
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• Whole black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of sweet Pimentón de la Vera
• 1 cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy)

Preparation

1. Discard mussels with broken shells or that do not close when given a small tap with your finger. Clean them well under running water, remove the beards and scrub the shell with a brush, small knife or clean scourer to remove impurities.
2. Put the casserole "Le Creuset" on the heat with the glass of white wine and 1 bay leaf. Add the mussels and cover with the lid. After 2-3 minutes, with a skimmer start removing the mussels that have already opened and cover again. Repeat until all the mussels have opened. Discard those that haven't opened at the end, it's a sign they weren't alive.
3. Strain the wine water left in the pot and set aside.
4. Remove the shells from the mussels and keep them warm, covered with some of the cooking water.
5. In a tall saucepan, place the oil over medium heat, the sliced garlic, one bay leaf, some slightly crushed black peppercorns and, if you like it spicy, a cayenne. Let the oil infuse and after about 10 minutes, when the garlic has taken color, add the tablespoon of paprika off the heat, stirring well with a wooden spoon so it doesn't burn.
6. Return the mixture to the heat and cool it down by adding the glass of vinegar and 125ml of the mussel cooking water.
7. Let the mixture come back to a boil and then remove from the heat. Let it cool slightly.
8. Meanwhile, drain and dry the reserved mussels well and fill the Luigi Bormioli jars previously sterilized. Cover all the mussels with the pickling mixture.
9. Let it cool, close the jars and refrigerate.
10. It's preferable to leave this preserve at least overnight before consuming, to allow the flavors to settle.

Luigi Bormioli airtight glass jars

Tips

1. I recommend using the Luigi Bormioli jars of 200ml preferably, and 350ml when you want to have preserves for when we'll have more diners or guests.
2. To fill the jars I use the adjustable-neck funnel for canning, because it prevents you from spilling the pickling mixture and dirtying the jar you've already sterilized.
3. These jars are ideal for this type of preserve, because they vacuum seal and are easy to open just by pulling the rubber tab.

Enjoy.