Mussels in Sailor's Sauce

• servings: 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

[1 fennel bulb, diced]

2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 jalapeño, finely chopped [didn't include]

1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crumbled

Large pinch of Spanish saffron, lightly crumbled

[1 tsp fennel, crushed

1 TBS tomato paste

1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper]

1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Albariño [used 1 cup]

2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1/2 cup water, fish stock or bottled clam juice

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Crusty country bread, for serving

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, oregano and saffron and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir it in. Add the wine and mussels, cover the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the fish stock, parsley and lemon juice and cook over high heat, stirring, until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open. Transfer the mussels and their sauce to deep bowls. Serve at once with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Notes

Xmas Eve 2024