Moules à la Provençale on Fettuccine
I admit… I have a lot of weaknesses 🥴 when it comes to food. There’s bread, pasta, pastries, seafood, sauces, salads, and I’m sure there’s more. I’m telling you, it’s hard to be a foody! My taste buds are not limited nor is my mind plus I’m curious… I want to try everything!
Seafood is a real treat for me! My parents were making dishes using many gems from the ocean. The very first time I had mussels is when my mother made a Paella. It was so delicious! My grandmother 👵, on the other hand, didn’t like the mollusks so she kept pushing them onto my plate… thank you 😁!
Lobster 🦞, shrimp, fried oysters and mussels were reserved for special occasions and we didn’t have them that often. With that mind set, later on in life, I had them only when I wanted to spoil myself. I changed that attitude when I moved to Toronto by having seafood weekly.
Mussels have always been a favorite and when I was dinning out and saw them on the menu, I ordered them. It was either Moules Frites 🍟or Moules Marinière. One day, I came across another mussel dish and it was Moules à la Provençale on Fettuccine!
I was with my late friend Brigitte and can’t remember which restaurant we were at but the dish was amazing 🤩! I told her that I never cooked with these mollusks. She was surprised and told me how easy it was. After dinner, we decided to duplicate it over at her place the next weekend.
She grew up in New Brunswick and was familiar with them. After our first attempt, the Moules à la Provençale on Fettuccine was pretty close to what I had a few days prior. She was right, it wasn’t hard to prep and cook 👩🍳👨🍳 them… I just needed someone to show me how.
Here are a few tips…
– Mussels should be alive and ideally, bought 🛒 the same day of using them. If you plan to cook them later, place them in a bowl, cover with a damp clean dish towel and transfer them to the fridge. Prep and clean the mollusks just before cooking otherwise if they’re prepped too early, they will die as well.
– They should smell like the ocean, not that strong fishy scent 🤢. The shells shouldn’t have any cracks or breakage. If some are opened, gently tap them against the counter or the sink. If the shell closes and remains shut, it indicates that the mussel is alive otherwise if it stays open or open again, it’s most likely dead so discard them.
– What takes the most time ⏰ is to debeard them. This fibrous, hairy thread, also called byssus, can be a little challenging at first but in fact, it’s quite easy. Pinch the beard with your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward the hinged-end of the mussels. If you still have trouble removing it, use tweezers or paper towel.
– Last thing to do is to rinse them – not soak them – under cold running water 💦. Place them in a colander and remove any debris, seaweed or barnacles. I like using a vegetable brush or when I can’t get the barnacles off the shells, I use the tip of my nails.
This Moules à la Provençale on Fettuccine recipe is pretty similar to my other Provençale except the ingredients differ a little. With a gorgeous tomato sauce 🍅 spooned over cooked pasta, this is a delicious meal you can enjoy in 30 minutes!
Bon Appétit! 🍽
Check out these other delicious seafood recipes… 😀
– Creamy Shrimp Linguine
– Sautéed Scallops with Beurre Blanc
– Oysters Rockefeller
– Fettuccine alle Vongole – Clam Fettuccine
– Lobster Newberg
– Crab Rangoon
– Garlic Shrimp
– Clam Casino Spread
and for even more seafood & fish recipes 🦞🐟, click on this link… Recipe Category • Fish & Seafood
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Moules à la Provençale on Fettuccine
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Ingredients
TOMATO SAUCE
- 1 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 3/4 cup white onions, diced
- ground Himalaya pink salt, to taste
- 3 large Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 tbsp. Herbes de Provence see Recipe
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste tips & tricks
- 2 3/4 cups (650 ml) marinara sauce see Recipe
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced black olives, drained
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces fettuccine, cooked see Recipe
- 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, for garnish tips & tricks
MUSSELS
- 1 lb. mussels, scrubbed, debearded and rinsed
- 1/2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Sauvignon
Directions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and when hot, add onions; season with salt. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add Roma tomatoes and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic, Herbes de Provence and red pepper flakes; sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste to coat.
- Add marinara sauce, sugar and black olives; season with freshly ground black pepper. Stir well and simmer for 15 minutes while cooking the pasta.
- About 7 minutes later… In another pot over medium-high heat, add oil. When it starts to shimmer, add shallot and sauté for 1 minute. Add wine and ½ cup pasta sauce; simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add mussels and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large bowl and set aside.
- Transfer the white wine mixture to the tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Add cooked fettuccine to a warm bowl, ladle on tomato sauce and top with mussels; garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
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