Faroese Island Permanent Residence

mussels au gratin

usually are not one in which love all the dishes that require long preparation: these mussels au gratin are the exception that proves the rule. And why, you ask? Because only a tasty morsel of these mussels, covered with golden brown and cheese, pay me back all the time spent in the kitchen to clean them, open them one by one, scrape pulp from shells and season with various ingredients. If this description has not passed the desire to learn how to prepare this dish, try it at least once. I promise you will not regret it ...

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as the second)

• 1 kg of fresh mussels
• A handful of chopped parsley
• A handful of freshly grated Parmesan
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Breadcrumbs
• Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper

Remember that this dish should be prepared, cooked and eaten immediately. Shellfish are quite delicate, so once the mussels are open, should not be made to stand too long before being cooked in the oven and, when ready, you should eat hot hot.

Take the mussels, scrape away the impurities from the shells with the help of a boxcutter, ripped off the strings and discard. If someone does not close while you are cleaning, dip it in cold water, it is still open, then throw it away, as is already dead and potentially dangerous for your stomach. Still using a boxcutter, insert the tip of the blade between the two shells, on the side which is less rounded form and slide it to cut the hinge. At this point, the mussels will open easily, revealing the flesh split between two shells. Using a spoon, scrape away the flesh from one half (making sure to keep it as intact as possible) and store it in a shell only, throwing away half empty. Put all your shells in a baking dish.

For each mussel, that's what you do: 1 - season with salt, pepper, garlic and parsley, 2 - drizzle with olive oil, 3 - put on a power Parmesan , 4 - cover with bread crumbs; 5 - flush with the other olive oil.

Bake in oven at 180 ° C for about 8-10 minutes, or until a golden crust has formed. Serve immediately, alone or with very fresh white bread crumb and a crispy crust (such as the French baguette).