Prep time
29 mins
Cooking Time
120 mins
Serves
6
Ingredients
Ingredients
* Note this recipe requires an overnight chill so make a day ahead
• 1kg large live mussels, scrubbed, cleaned and debearded
• 300ml dry white wine
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 head of fennel, halved lengthways, then very thinly sliced across the grain
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Peel of 1⁄2 orange
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise
• 2 tsp mild smoked paprika
• 150ml moscatel vinegar (if unavailable, use chardonnay or cider vinegar)
• 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Method
- Place a large saucepan over a high heat. Meanwhile, check all the mussels and tap any open ones firmly on a chopping board; if they close up, they are fine to cook; if not, discard them.
- Add the mussels and half the wine to the hot pan and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, or just until the mussels have opened. Drain in a colander, then allow to cool a bit before removing the mussels from their shells.
- Place another saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When hot, add the fennel, thyme and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the fennel has softened but still has some bite, not adding too much colour.
- Add the remaining wine, the orange peel, peppercorns, bay leaf, star anise, smoked paprika and vinegar. Boil for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid by half, then simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and gently stir in the mussels and tomatoes. Leave to cool for 1 1⁄2 hours, then chill overnight.
- Serve with a big crusty baguette, fresh sourdough, focaccia or even some of Spain’s finest – olive oil crisps. A crisp gem salad would also be a lovely foil to the richness.
Recipe provided by Bar 44
"Escabeche is a traditional Mediterranean technique that involves marinating fish, meat or vegetables in an acidic sauce, often vinegar, to which herbs and spices are added. At Bar 44, we also love to use smoked paprika, which adds depth of flavour.
"The recipe below makes a perfect snack or lunch with crusty bread for mopping up the addictive flavours of the sauce. It can also be made with cockles, razor clams, sardines, various cuts of tuna or octopus, to give you just a few ideas. "