Pickled mussels

You can start preparing yourself now because you are 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 prepare them quickly at home , in the blink of an eye, saving not only a few euros from our pocket, because, as much as we may think, canned foods are not particularly cheap, but also all the preservatives and salts that these preserves contain to get them to market.

Mussels are mollusks that are not only quite cheap , but also full of minerals such as iron and vitamins, especially A, B12, B9 and C, as well as a significant amount of protein, which does not provide much fat and very few calories. Steamed they are delicious, but don't tell me you don't like those little cans of pickled mussels?

Just a few ingredients that you already have in your pantry, 20 minutes and your pickled mussel preserve is ready . Just choose a good extra virgin olive oil .

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

Ingredients

• 2 kg of fresh mussels
• 250ml white wine (Albariño, Txakoli)
• 250ml extra virgin olive oil
• 200ml of wine vinegar
• 125ml of previously strained cooking water from the mussels
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• Black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika from La Vera
• 1 cayenne pepper (if you like spicy)

Preparation

1. Remove any mussels that have a broken shell or do not close when tapped with your finger. Clean them well under running water, remove the beards and scrub the shell with a brush , small knife or clean scouring pad to remove any impurities.
2. Put the Le Creuset cocotte 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, use a skimmer to remove any mussels that have already opened and cover again. Continue until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that have not opened at the end, as this is a sign that they were not alive.
3. Strain the remaining wine water from 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 , put the oil, the sliced ​​garlic, a bay leaf, some crushed black peppercorns and, if you like it spicy, a cayenne pepper, over medium heat. Allow the oil to infuse and after about 10 minutes, when the garlic will have taken on colour, add the tablespoon of paprika off the heat, stirring well with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't burn.
6. Return the mixture to the heat and cool it, adding the glass of vinegar and 125 ml of the water from cooking the mussels.
7. Allow the mixture to come back to a boil and then remove from the heat. Allow to cool.
8. Meanwhile, drain and dry the reserved mussels well and fill the previously sterilized Luigi Bormioli jars . Cover all the mussels with the marinade mixture.
9. Let it cool, close the jars and put it in the fridge.
10. It is best to leave this preserve for at least a day before consuming, to allow the flavors to settle.

Luigi Bormioli airtight glass jars

Tips

1. I recommend using the 200ml Luigi Bormioli jars preferably, and the 350ml jars to have preserves for when we are going to have a larger number of diners or guests.
2. To fill the jars I use the adjustable neck canning funnel , because it prevents you from spilling the pickle mixture and dirtying the jar that you have already sterilized.
3. These jars are ideal for this type of preserve, because they create a vacuum and are easy to open by simply pulling the rubber tab.

Enjoy.