We recently had some friends over for an early dinner, and I was imagining one of those warm, breezy late- summer afternoons where everyone lingers around the table over a spread of appetizers. Never mind that the forecast was for 90° weather at 6 p.m. An assortment of appetizers where everyone could take what and how much they wanted seemed like the perfect meal for the hot weather we’ve been having.
My inspiration came from a trip we took to Puglia, Italy, back in 2012 when we stayed at an agriturismo farm hotel, Torre dei Preti. We had quite an amazing food experience where every night, in the common dining room, they had a spread of 20-30 plates and trays of antipasti made fresh daily with local farm ingredients.
Puglia is blessed with incredible fruits and vegetables, and with all that coastline, plenty of seafood. Both are featured everywhere on tables. Meat, on the other hand, is somewhat unusual because the soil is so rocky that pastures are hard to plow and maintain. Night after night, plates just kept appearing: vegetables prepared every imaginable way, seafood, cheeses, breads, and all sorts of little things to taste and share.
It was exactly this kind of relaxed, abundant meal I thought would be perfect. We ate stuffed mussels several times while we were in Puglia. So cozze gratinate became my anchor. Cozze gratinate are one of those simple Italian dishes that manage to get a lot of flavor out of very few ingredients. The mussels are first cooked just until they open, but rather than throwing away the liquid they release, you save it. That salty, briny mussel broth is then mixed with breadcrumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, lemon zest, and extra-virgin olive oil to make the simple yet delicious stuffing.
Each mussel goes back into one half of its shell along with a generous spoonful of the breadcrumb mixture. The mussels then go under the broiler for just a few minutes. The topping becomes golden and crisp while the mussels underneath stay tender and juicy. A squeeze of lemon right before serving brightens the dish. These are delicious warm, but just as good as they come to room temperature. The perfect dish for this kind of summer meal where no one is in much of a hurry.
To round out the meal, I also served stuffed squid using the same breadcrumb filling as the mussels, plus Caprese salad, pickled grilled vegetables (Verdure in Scapece), tuna crudo, and toasted bread with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled on top while still hot. I finished the meal with linguine with clams and a ricotta lemon cake with fresh peaches.
Even the hot weather couldn’t ruin the inspiration for this Italian-inspired meal. Summer will be over before we know it, and soon enough, we’ll be complaining about how early it gets dark. So now is the time to find some big, beautiful fresh mussels, pair them with your other favorite summertime foods, and invite a few friends over. The 20 to 30 antipasti are entirely optional!
Cozze gratinate (Stuffed Mussels)
Description
Stuffed mussels are a quick appetizer for a summer party that don’t warm up the whole kitchen. Select larger mussels if available. Serve this dish right after grilling or at room temperature. You can prepare a pan of mussels earlier in the day and refrigerate until ready to broil.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs black mussels, beards removed and rinsed (select larger mussels)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- Zest from ½ lemon, reserve lemon half for juicing
- 1–2 tbsp minced parsley
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt/pepper
Instructions
- In a frying pan or big pot with a lid, place the mussels in roughly one layer. Cover and heat to medium. Cook until the mussels have opened, shaking the pan a few times (about 5 mins). Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
- Remove the mussels to a strainer placed over a bowl. Remove the mussels from the shells, setting the mussel meat and shells into a different bowl. Strain the juices left in the frying pan and the bowl through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a measuring cup. (Alternatively, place the juices in a measuring cup and carefully pour into another cup, leaving the grit and bits behind).
- In a separate bowl, prepare the stuffing. Whisk together the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest, and parsley. Add equal parts extra virgin olive oil and mussel broth until the mixture comes together (breadcrumbs squeeze together). Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Prepare a shallow oven-safe pan or sheet pan by covering it with foil. Working over the bowl of stuffing, stuff the mussels by placing one mussel into one half shell and cover with stuffing, gently pressing into place. Place onto the prepared dish and continue to stuff the mussels until you’ve used up all the mussels. Discard the remaining half shells.
- Broil the mussels for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Keep a close eye on them to avoid burning. Remove from the oven and squeeze lemon over the mussels.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.