You can of course use any seafood for this dish, but I love shellfish and prawns with a garlicky, tomato sauce. This dish is one for messy fingers, garlic bread and a cold glass of white wine! It's also a really easy one-pot supper of sorts, and great for a crowd.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Linguine, spaghetti or other pasta, enough for 4
1 kg mussels on the shell (this is a bagful)
1/2 cup of cooked prawns (defrosted from the freezer is fine)
1 leek, finely chopped (or a medium sized onion)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 glass of white wine
1 small fresh red or green chili, finely sliced
4 fresh tomatoes, or a can of chopped
a small handful of mint leaves
a large handful of basil leaves
1/2 a lemon, zested and juiced
plenty of fresh ground black pepper
Crusty bread and herbed butter to serve
Method:
1. Chop up all your veggies and get a big pan of salted water on the boil for the pasta.
2. Give the mussels a good wash and discard any shells that are broken.
3. Add your chosen pasta to the water and set the time for the 10 or so minutes it will take to cook then -
4. Warm up some good olive oil in a (preferably wide) pan that has a lid that fits.
5. and add the chopped leeks and garlic, the splash of wine and when it's all getting going, the tomatoes and chilli
6. When its up to a good heat, add all of the mussels in their shells and put the lid on firmly! Leave for a fe minutes, then shake the pan, still with the lid on.
7. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside, maybe adding a splash of olive oil to keep it loose
8. Shake the pan of mussels one last time and lift the lid. You will need to remove most of the mussel shells, so let it cool a little and then take your time. Leave half a dozen shells behind for decoration and texture.
9. When you have a nice mixture of mussels and tomato sauce, add the prawns, all the herbs, and increase the heat
10. Then tip in the pasta and using 2 wooden spoons, mix to combine. Grat the lemon zest on top and serve in nice warm bowls with some crusty bread and butter and a good grind of black pepper. xx