Mussel Pasta with Garlic Butter and White Wine
Make mussel pasta in 30 minutes with frozen or fresh mussels. Garlic butter and white wine sauce brings big flavor with little effort.
Equipment
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
- Kitchen Tongs Recommended
Ingredients
- 16 Oz. Mussel Meat - fresh or frozen, thawed and drained This is the equivalent of 4-5 Lbs of mussels with their shells
- 16 Oz. Linguine or Spaghetti
- 1 Stick Butter, Divided in Half
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 6-8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 C Dry White Wine
- 2-3 Medium Roma Tomatoes, Seeded and Diced Or 1.5-2 C Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
- 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 1/4 C Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1 Lemon Plus more to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta - Bring a large pot of salted water (1 Tbsp salt to 1 gallon water) to a boil. Cook the pasta to 1 minute before al dente, so you can finish it in the sauce. Reserve 1 C of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Make the Sauce - While the water boils and pasta cooks, melt the olive oil and half the butter over medium heat in a large skillet or pan (large enough to hold the pasta and sauce later).
- Add the garlic, (optional) red pepper flakes, and a heavy pinch of salt. Sauté for a minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook 3-5 minutes until softened.
- Deglaze with the white wine and bring to a simmer. Let the sauce reduce for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the drained mussel meat to the sauce and cook per below:Frozen, pre-cooked - 4-5 minutesFrozen, raw - 6-8 minutesFresh, pre-cooked - 2-3 minutesFresh, raw - 4-6 minutesThe safe cooked temp for mussel meat is 145 degrees F. The meat should be opaque and firm, but still tender.
- Bring it All Together - Toss the pasta with the sauce and mussels. I like to use tongs here and mix the pasta pretty roughly with the sauce. The sauce will be watery to start, but will thicken as it mixes with the starch in the pasta. This should take roughly 5 minutes, but mix as long as you want.
- If necessary, add the reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen up the sauce. You don't need to add all of it, and I usually end up using 3/4 C. Be sure to mix well to help form an emulsification between the sauce and pasta water.
- Cut the heat, add the parsley and remaining butter, and squeeze in the juice from half the lemon. Mix to melt the butter and combine all the ingredients.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with the other half of the lemon (cut into wedges), some crusty garlic bread and maybe a glass of white wine.
Notes
*Food Safety Note:
Always handle and cook animal products safely.
Always handle and cook animal products safely.
- Cook poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) to 165°F / 74°C.
- Cook ground meats (beef, pork, lamb, veal) to 160°F / 71°C.
- Cook whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, veal to 145°F / 63°C and allow to rest for 3 minutes.
- Cook fish and shellfish to 145°F / 63°C.
- Eggs should be cooked until yolks and whites are firm, or use pasteurized eggs for recipes calling for raw or lightly cooked eggs.