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Mussels are affordable and delicious, and they work perfectly with pasta. I like to remove the shells from about half the mussels in pasta dishes – just so the dish is a little easier to eat.
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INGREDIENTS
1kg mussels
500g dried linguine
½ cup olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
½ cup white wine
2 tbsp baby capers in brine, drained
150ml thickened cream
salt and pepper, to season
2 tbsp chopped parsley
lemon wedges, to serve
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METHOD
Place a large frypan over high heat and add about 500ml of water. Bring to the boil, add the mussels and cook for about 3 minutes, removing the individual mussels as soon as they open. Remove most of the mussels from their shells but reserve a few in their shells for garnish. Strain the liquid and set both the mussels and liquid aside. Wipe the pan or give it a quick rinse to remove any grit released by the mussels.
Cook the linguine in plenty of salted water according to the packet directions and test for readiness from 2 minutes before the specified time. Drain when the pasta is al dente, but retain about half a cup of the water.
Return the pan to medium heat and add the olive oil, onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until fragrant but not browned, then add the wine and cook for a further 2 minutes, until it stops smelling like wine. Add a little of the reserved mussel liquid (maybe half a cup, but it will depend on how saucy you want the dish to be), the capers and cream and bring to a simmer.
Toss the mussels and linguine through the sauce along with about ¼ to ½ a cup of the reserved pasta water. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.
Serves 4
Tip: You don't need to purge or de-beard mussels before cooking. Tiny amounts of grit in the mussels can be strained (if you can be bothered) and just pick out any beards as you're eating.