Mussels sautéed in olive oil

The recipe is super simple, you need: fresh mussels (Almejas, Berberechos or Chirlas), chili flakes, garlic and finely chopped parsley.

Of course, you also need good olive oil and baguette bread to soak the sauce from the pan – it almost tastes better than the mussels themselves.

You should put the mussels in a bowl of salted water the day before and leave them in the fridge over night. Change the water several times and remove the sandy sediment that the mussels release. This is very important, otherwise you will have the sand on your plate afterwards.

Pat the mussels dry with a kitchen towel. Then heat a good dash of olive oil in a pan and add the mussels as soon as the oil is hot. Sauté the mussels until they open. Then add chili, garlic and parsley. They are ready to serve as soon as the mussel stock and olive oil emulsifies and the mussels swim in a creamy umami dip. Since the mussels are somewhat salty themselves, you don ́t need additional salt.

I like to prepare this dish in a pan that I put directly in hot coles of a fire. The slightly smoky taste of the fire fits perfectly.