The flavor combo of spicy pork with steamed mussels is a marriage made in umami heaven. ’Nduja is a spreadable pork sausage originally from southern Italy, and is a fantastic flavoring for just about any seafood pasta. You can easily find ‘Nduja online (like Amazon) or at an Italian market. It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator and very little is needed for each dish. When the family gathers for holidays and special events, we often harvest our own wild mussels along the Pacific coast, and the hunt becomes a joyful raucous adventure for everyone, including our little ones. When timed properly with low tides, it’s great fun… we just always keep one eye out for the occasional big wave.
Everyone gets to bring home their own bag of fresh mussels. They are luscious and deeply orange in color, a big bowl sitting in the middle of our harvest table is a sight to behold. A full of life celebration.
Most folks don’t have access to the sea but you can always find really high quality frozen or freshly thawed mussels at any good supermarket, either in the fish department or frozen in flat trays in the freezer section. We often buy the ones farmed in the icy waters of Chile, they are really high quality, tasty, creamy and chubby. These are the mussels you will often find in better restaurants. This dish is wonderful and easy, and for us, the abundance of the ocean is a big part of the good life. If you love seafood, why not give it a whirl? Enjoy!
Ingredients…
2 to 3 pounds mussels, fresh or frozen (about 6 dozen commercially farmed mussels, or about 5 dozen harvested wild along the ocean)
4 ounces Nduja, casing removed
1 pound linguine
1 cup heavy cream
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup clam broth
1/2 cup white wine (we use Chardonnay) or Vermouth
1 juicy lemon, squeezed, and the zest of the same lemon
1 cup cherry tomatoes or small thick skinned tomatoes like Early Girl or Campari
1 cup basil, roughly chopped
4 large garlic cloves, crushed or minced
2 large shallots, sliced or minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
salt to taste, we use 1 teaspoon
Cooking…
Bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil, stir in 1 tablespoon of sea salt. Add the pasta and boil until al dente, about 8 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water when finished. While the pasta is cooking, let’s start the sauce.
In a 12 inch saute’ pan, (we use a pan with 3 inch sides) add the olive oil and the shallots and heat on medium until the shallots are opaque and aromatic, about 2 minutes.
Add the butter, fennel seeds, ‘Nduja and garlic, and gently fry until the garlic and fennel seeds sizzle and are aromatic, about 3 minutes. Be sure to spread out the ‘Nduja as it heats so that the oils are fully flavored.
Pour in the wine (or Vermouth), lemon juice and the clam broth and simmer until slightly reduced and married, about 6 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Place the mussels gently in the pan, cover and heat until they open, about 4 minutes after the steam first appears. If they are frozen and already cooked, simmer until they are just thawed and warmed, it’s best not to boil or overheat, they over cook and become rubbery.
Now add the cream, tomatoes, zest and basil and stir until simmering again and married, about 2 minutes.
Add the pasta and toss until mixed and the pasta is fully coated and glossy. Add the reserved pasta water as needed to adjust the thickness of the sauce, if necessary.
Remove from heat and serve. Enjoy!
