Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo
Quick Mussels Fra DiavoloSeafood, like these Mussels Fra Diavolo, on Christmas Eve is a holiday family tradition. But you can also make this anytime you’re craving mussels or seafood in your life. This can be served as an appetizer with bread for dipping or over pasta as a main dish or even over zoodles to keep it low carb.
Some of my other favorite ways to make mussels are Steamed Mussels with Piri Piri Sauce and Mussels in Basil Cream Sauce.
When I make this, I usually use my own homemade marinara sauce (I never use jarred sauce) when I make this, but I tried this with Delallo’s Pomodoro Fresco and I have to say I was very impressed, and so was my husband! It tastes just like my homemade sauce and this dish came together in less than 15 minutes.
If you’ve never made mussels before, you’ll be surprised how easy this dish is. The mussels should be alive when you purchase and cook them. Any mussels that are cracked should be discarded, and any mussels that don’t open after cooking should also be tossed.
More Seafood Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Coconut Broth Clams with Lemongrass
- Seafood Paella
- Grilled Crab Legs
- Creamy Shrimp and Celery Salad
- Grilled Lobster Tails with Garlic and Herb Butter
Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo
Ingredients
- 1 25.25 oz jar DeLallo Marinara or homemade marinara
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup minced shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3/4 cup dry white wine, omit for Paleo and Whole 30
- 3 lbs 48 to 50 live mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish
- optional whole wheat crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.
- Add the shallot, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the marinara sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the mussels, cover and cook until the mussels open, 6 to 8 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open.
- Season lightly with salt, then transfer the mussels and sauce to a platter.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve right away with crusty bread.
Last Step:
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DeLallo. I only share products I use in my own kitchen. I created this recipe and received compensation to do so.
I saw fresh mussels on market day in our tiny SW French village. The line at the fishmonger’s was always over-the-top too long, so I waited till tourist season was mostly over (the kids go back to school this week in France) and sure enough, I got some in no time. They are a small French version that don’t have any beards, or else the fishmonger cleaned them (doubtful). They’re cleaned and in the fridge, and your Quick Marinara Sauce is simmering right now. I’m definitely looking forward to dinner!
BUT is not ITALIAN (Napolitan) Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous Neapolitan guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an “inspirational practitioner of popular insurrection”.Pezza figures prominently in folk lore and fiction. He appears in several works of Alexandre Dumas, including The Last Cavalier: Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-hermine in the Age of Napoleon, not published until 2007 and in Washington Irving’s short story “The Inn at Terracina”. Correction Appended LOBSTER or Shrimps FRA DIAVOLO, lobster in a spicy tomato sauce with linguine, “brother devil” style, sounds Italian, tastes Italian and is a staple in Italian restaurants. But is it Italian? “Oh, dear,” sighed Anna Teresa Callen, the Italian-born cookbook author and cooking teacher, when asked about it. “It’s not an Italian dish. It’s really another Italian-American invention. I have never seen it in Italy, and I suspect that it came from Long Island.” Like Mrs. Callen, many authorities on Italian cooking are not on the side of the devil. Tony May, the owner of San Domenico, who is from Naples, said lobster fra diavolo was not from his hometown. “It’s like the lemon peel with the coffee, he continued. “I first heard of it when I came to New York in 1963. I think there was a restaurant in midtown called Fra Diavolo that started it. Or maybe the restaurant was Vesuvio.” Giuliano Bugialli, another cookbook author and cooking teacher, said it was invented in New York. “We don’t even have American lobsters in Italy,” he added. “And a heavy tomato sauce with hot peppers, seafood and pasta all in one dish is not Italian cooking. I think it came from a restaurant that was Others trace its origins to Little Italy. Victor Hazan, the wine expert, said he remembered first eating lobster fra diavolo at the Grotta Azzurra restaurant in Little Italy in 1940. His wife, Marcella, the cookbook author and teacher, added: “You brought me to that restaurant. I remember the dish clearly because it was so heavy and typical of Italian cooking in America. We don’t eat like that in Italy.” PERIOD.
Love this recipe. I have made it this way and I have made it into a seafood fra diavolo. I doubled the sauce and added shrimp and minced clams and served over pasta.. So good. My husband declared it way better than restaurant quality. And since we can’t go to restaurants right now that is a bonus. Thanks Gina. I will be making this often.
I have made this using Rao’s Marinara and it was fabulous! Rao’s is expensive but well worth it! The best marinara on the supermarket shelves!
What does it mean to scrub and debeard mussels? This is why I never make them at home because I don’t know what that means or how to do it. Thanks
Put your mussels in a colander and thoroughly rinse them off. I use a vegetable brush to scrub the shell removing any dirt, barnacles, etc from the shell. Any shells that are not closed, lightly tap the shell on the sink and if they do not close, throw them away as the mussel is dead and should not be eaten. The beard is a grassy growth along the mussel shell opening. To debar them, using your thumb and index finger, grab the beard firmly and pull the beard toward the shell hinge and it should pull off. Use scissors to cut and of the beard you can not remove by pulling it out. Most mussels sold insures are farm raised and are usually debarred. Rinse again and they are ready to cook.
Can this be made ahead and warmed in the oven? Will it still be good? I wanted to make it at home and bring it to my son’s who lives about 45 minutes away.
Also, I have frozen mussels from Canada — can I use these or should I buy fresh?
Sure, should be OK.
Made these for our NYE dinner and all of my boys loved them. Super easy. This one is a keeper. 🙂
This was so good, even the second day, stirred into freshly boiled spaghetti, and topped with parmesan!!
That is just how I was taught by a chef to make this dish. YES YES… Have to have crusty bread. Gotta sopp up that fab sauce.. I’m craving them now. I just saw this sight from a friend. I simply love your dishes. The crab salad in an avocado looks so light n yummy. Again nice bread dipping in olive oil n balsamic drizzle..
Where can I buy live, fresh mussels. We have no fishmongers here….just Costco and I've never seen them there.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this dish! Fancy, easy, delicious! Works well with shrimp, trying out with chicken tonight!
These look extraordinary! That sauce, mmmmm ^ ^ Wish we had that tradition too, but it's never too late to start right? 🙂 Hope you have had a lovely holiday xx
YUM!! Doesn't this look delicious?? Seafood on Christmas eve?? What a fun tradition!! My family always has Chinese food on Christmas Eve!! This year we did get some lobsters from a friend for Christmas eve though!! Yay for healthy sea food!!
These mussels look so incredibly delicious, I can't wait to try your recipe! And, your photography is on point, really beautiful! Wishing you a very happy New Year!
Looks so tasty- I love mussels!
Mussels are so easy to make at home, yet I always seems to forget to make them. Thanks for the inspiration!
Perfect! I would l.o.v.e. this for dinner!
where besides online can you buy DeLallo sauce? (Long Island)
I love how easy and quick this meal is but it looks so much more fancy.
Yum! This looks like a lovely quick dinner idea!
This looks divine! Just bought your cookbook the other day, can't wait to try out the recipes! 🙂
What is a dry white wine? Chardonnay? I know nothing about wines!!! This is looks so yummy and I love mussels!
I would use Sauvignon Blanc or unoaked Chardonnay. You want a wine that you can drink, that is low in alcohol (10-13%) and has a lot of acidity.
My favorite dry white for recipes like this is Pinot Grigio.
I use whatever I am drinking, which is usually Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
Looks delicious!!