Baked mussels au gratin, recipe from Italy

Shellfish in Italy is a big thing: people love it and there are multiple ways to prepare it, both at home and at the restaurant. One of the most popular Italian fish dish, from the South of Italy, are the baked mussels au gratin which make a great appetizer for a big fish dinner/lunch party.

The main feature of this recipe is the crunchy toppings which makes the mussels very tasty. The recipe is very simple and it uses simple ingredients to be accompanied by a good glass of white wine.

What do you need for 4 portions of mussels au gratin
1 kg of mussels (in their shells)
2 cloves garlic
Parsley to taste
Grated Parmesan to taste
1/2 glass of white wine
100 grams of bread crumbs
1 fresh chilli
black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil

How to make the mussels au gratin
1. Clean the mussels under cold running water and then, with a knife, scrape all the impurities on the shell. Rinse thoroughly until the mussels will be spotless.
2. Put the mussels in a large and deep enough pan with 1 clove of garlic, chopped parsley, chopped chilli and white wine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels will open then strain the cooking liquid and set it aside.
3. Prepare the breading by mixing the bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, crushed garlic, chopped parsley and a little bit of oil. To soften the mixture just use some cooking water from the mussels. Turn on the oven to 200°C (428°F).
4. Discard the shells of mussels where it is not present the clam and place those with the clam in a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Stuff the mussels with the mixture prepared earlier. Bake for 15 minutes at 180°C (356°F) and finish cooking for 2-3 minutes under the grill. Serve the mussels au gratin hot or warm.

Preparation time: 30 minutes.