Grilled Mussels With Arrabiata Salsa

Double this recipe if serving as the main dish… in fact you may even want to triple it!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb mussels, scrubbed & debearded
  • 4 ripe tomatoes
  • 2 dried chilies, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 onion (preferably Spanish)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
  • 1/4 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

  1. To make the Arrabiata Salsa on the side burner: Place tomatoes and 1/2 onion on cooking grids to soften and imprint grill marks. Let cool slightly, then dice. Heat olive oil in a skillet over MEDIUM heat on the side burner. Add grilled, diced onions, and garlic. Saute briefly, then add the mussels. Keep covered until they open. Discard any mussels which failed to open.
  2. Add white wine and bring to a boil.
  3. Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Add chilies, cover and simmer sauce. The earlier the chilies are added, the spicier the sauce becomes.
  4. Arrange cooked mussels in large serving bowl, pour remaining sauce over mussels and serve with grilled bread for dipping.