Steamed mussels with chopped tomato

It's that time of year and I get into "dinner on the terrace" mode, with friends, in a lively environment and with cool recipes that take very little work and without dirtying a lot of kitchen utensils .

Without a doubt, the one that never fails is steamed mussels, which is one of the easiest dishes you can make. It is an inexpensive dish that everyone usually likes, and washed down with a good Ribeiro... What can I tell you that you don't already know!

At home, I usually serve it as you can see in my skillet , with a nice salad. I always make it a few hours before so that the flavours are more concentrated. As for the mussels, if they are Galician and of good quality, much better, that way the mollusc will be bigger.

You can make them in a sailor's style or French style, both of which are also delicious, but I personally like them best the way I bring them to you today, steamed, made in the simplest way but without losing flavour or nutrients. Mussels are usually rich in vitamins C, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, selenium and zinc. They are low in fat and provide a high protein content. In short, I love making them in my Vitalis pot and using everything from them.

Laura Ashley porcelain tray , WMF Vitalis pot and Le Creuset skillet

Ingredients (For 4 people)

• 1 kg of mussels
• 1 bunch of parsley or several bay leaves (to taste)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 glass of water and a little white wine to taste

For the mince:

• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 Italian pepper
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 onion
• Oil, vinegar and salt.

Preparation

The hash

1. Cut the tomatoes as small as possible on a board and set aside in a bowl.
2. Add the onion, pepper and cucumber, all finely chopped. Season to taste.
3. Set aside for a few hours until it takes on the dressing.

Mussels

1. Clean the mussels well. Set aside.
2. Pour water into the WMF Vitalis pot , about two fingers high, place the basket and on top the mussels, garlic cloves and parsley, and pour the glass of white wine.
3. Cover with a lid and place on the stove. When the thermometer reaches 90-100º, count about 5 minutes, the time it takes for the mussels to open, and they will be ready.
4. Check that they are all open, if any are missing, wait a few more minutes.

Presentation

1. Remove the lid and remove the mussels, place them on a tray or in a skillet , and place the mince on the side.

WMF Vitalis pot

Tips :

• The more minced the mincemeat is, the better. And as I mentioned before, it needs several hours to acquire flavour.
• I recommend that you use quality mussels, as this will be noticeable in the size of the mollusk.

I hope you like it!