When Elly of Elly Says OPA! announced a food event that paired food inspired by music, I knew I’d be all over this event. The event is Eat to the Beat!
This event would combine my two of my greatest loves…food and music. The premise of the food event is quite simple: make and blog about a food or drink that somehow relates to a song, an album, a band, etc.
So, let’s go back to the late 70’s when New Wave and Punk Rock were shaking the foundations of rock music.
At the forefront of New Wave was a Brit band called The Squeeze. They had a string of Top 40 hits, enough to justify a full-on Greatest Hits album (which I do have).
The title, “Pulling Mussels From a Shell” has an obvious connection to my dish, steamed clams and mussels.
I adapted this recipe from Epicurious and as usual, I tweaked the recipe to make it suit my tastes (and hopefully yours).
I was blown away by the effect the Chorizo sausage had on the flavour. The sausage seasons the dish and a wonderful smokyness was present.
The aroma of lemon zest wafts in the air when you sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs and pinnacle has to be when you throw on some oregano, cracked pepper and a crowning drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Once again, I am slayed by seafood!
Mussels and Clams Riganato
(for 4)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ripe plum tomato, diced
1 Tbsp. dried Greek oregano
1/3 cup diced shallots
1/3 cup diced Chorizo sausage
1/4 dry white wine
1 lb. fresh mussels, de-bearded and cleaned
1 lb. fresh manila clams, scrubbed and cleaned
freshly ground pepper
Toasted Bread Crumb Topping
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic, smashed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
zest of 1 lemon
- Scrub, de-beard and clean your mussels and clams as per linked instructions. Reserve in the fridge until you are ready to steam them.
- In a small non-stick pan, add your olive oil and clove of garlic on medium heat. Allow the garlic to perfume the oil for 2-3 minutes. Remove the garlic and and reserve for use with the steamed bivalves.
- Add your bread crumbs to the oil, stirring constantly to toast them for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat, stir in your lemon zest and reserve.
- Place a large skillet on your stove and heat under medium high heat and add your olive oil. Now add your shallots, garlic, tomato and Chorizo and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add your bivalves and wine, cover and turn the heat to high. Your clams and mussels should all open in about 5-7 minutes. Discard any unopened bivalves.
- Using a spoon, place each serving in a deep bowl and sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs, throw a some oregano at it, turn some fresh ground pepper on it and finish off with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
- Serve some good crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
35 Responses
This looks to die for! We are huge shellfish fans and I know we will love this dish. I’d better start making some No Knead bread to go along with it!
Now that is one mean mussel dish Peter! Love chorizo and the rigani…interesting song choice I must say.
Hey Peter! We’re dancing here! We’ll have to research The Squeeze a little further on Rhapsody. Thanks for the new music and as always, great dish. We haven’t has mussels in a while , but will have to eat some soon. We’re still trying to work on making your dolmades!
Peter, you’re singin’ my song here! Seafood is a favorite of mine – especially anything with a shell. How can you go wrong adding garlic and white wine? The chorizo is the surprise, for sure. I’d expect it in paella, but not in this dish. Love it!
holy mother of god. what a great blog! damn!!!
will you marry me?
please?
anyway – this should be fun. really beautiful stuff here – thanks for finding me so i could find you…
Aww, this song reminds me of my sis…’pullen mussels from a shell’ we used to go around singing it on the streets. Great looking dish, one I most certainly couldn’t resist!
Hey, what a great idea!!! I want to participate :D.
Peter your bivalves look fantastic and I can smell your sauce from Spain ;-) Que bueno!!!
Have some clams in the fridge, but their destination is a Rice’s clams that I just saw… you will lick your fingers up to the elbow if you try it :D :D
I remember that song so well, Peter! Ah, heady teenage days…! The mussels look fab.
This dish just sings summer at the beach to me!
Incredible! I wish I could dip just one hunk of bread into that sauce … it looks SO good.
This post reminds me that it’s been far too long since I last tucked into a bowl of home-cooked mussels. I must remedy that.
Wow, Peter. This looks fantastic! Mmmm, chorizo. Great idea for the event and thanks so much for participating!
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
I like the topping on the mussels – I can taste the lemon too.
Wow , now you’re cooking Peter – even getting marriage proposals.
Looks great! I would have never thought of topping it with toasted breadcrumbs. The dish goes perfectly with the song choice.
This is one mean seafood dish Peter. Look at all that flavour. But girls..Peter is mine…wink…wink…his mom has adopted me..at least I’ve asked him to ask her.
Sticky, mussels are still affordable and so tasty.
Pete, give this one a shot…it’s real Greek in flavour.
White Rice Duo, the Squeeze were huge!
Toni, the Chorizo was a pleasant surprise, it will be a mainstay ingredient for me.
Nuria mamacita, I wish you could taste them, not just smell the bivalves.
Aforkful, make a dish for the food event, should be fun.
Susan, the beach is where it’s at.
Elly, my pleasure!
Nina, marriage proposals and they aren’t Russian mail-order brides? WOW!
Pysch, the breadcrumb thicked the broth nicely.
Val, when are you moving back to the Toronto area? Think about it…you’ll be closer to Greece too! ;)
Hi, I am amazed by the festive looks of the mussel dish. Thats a hot choice for a dinner for two. Bottle of wine with it, I am all yours :-)
Heh, even though I ate seafood every day last week (EVERY DAY), I still would totally mow through a bowl of mussels. I love them. Those look effing amazing.
Peter! I could eat that whole dish myself! Wonderful job! Really. :)
And I haven’t heard that song in ages haha
Peter, this is my favorite post of yours! Listening to Squeeze broght back such memories. And your dish looks fabulous! I recently found a store that carries chorizo and I am looking forward to using it. Oh..and Nina, I’ve all ready asked him to marry me, so hands off!
Mussels and Chorzio! Ohhhh Peter.
I remember that song SO very well, which brought back fond memories. A great mussel dish packed with great flavour – wonderful post Peter.
This is a perfect marriage! I need to make some seafood dishes and your dish has given me a great idea. I am still singing pulling mussels from a shell!! Hehe
That looks *seriously* good. I lack words to describe how much I’d like a bowl of that.
Mamma Mia (pun intended) this looks fabulous!
You are soooo right that we were on the same wave-length with shellfish. I just saw another recipe with chorizo added and goodness — so much more to my liking!
I can’t talk, I have no words, I’m totally drooling over this!!!!