Pasta with Mussels in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Step 1

Before you start cooking your dish I'd suggest placing the mussels in a bowl with ice water and let them soak for about 20 minutes, before scrubbing them. This will let the sand from the mussels fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Step 2

Any of your live mussels that happen to be open and don't close to the touch, should be discarded.

Step 3

Right before cooking the mussels, remove them from the water, scrub with a brush and remove any beards.

Step 4

In a deep pan or a dutch oven, saute chopped onions with olive oil, minced garlic, chili paper flakes, and fresh thyme, for about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Add Whole Cherry Tomatoes and Yellow Peeled Tomatoes with their juices to the pan.

Step 6

Add a teaspoon of salt and sugar and a little bit of freshly grounded pepper. Cover the pot and let cook for 20- 25 minutes.

Step 7

Cook your Bucatini according to instructions. *(see notes below on how to salt your pasta water).

Step 8

Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the rest once the pasta is cooked.

Step 9

In a dutch oven or heavy-duty pot with a cover, combine white wine, chopped onions, crushed garlic, and bring it to boil.

Step 10

Add mussels and cover it up. Cook for 2-4 minutes, until all the mussels have opened.

Step 11

After the first 2 minutes remove the mussels that opened up and place them in a bowl; cover the pot and let the mussels cook for couple more minutes. Any unopened mussels should be discarded.

Step 12

Once all the mussels are in a bowl, let them cool off slightly. Once they're cool enough to handle, remove about 2/3 of the mussels from the shells and leave the rest in the shells.

Step 13

Check tomato sauce for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed;

Step 14

Add the mussels which were removed from shells to the spicy tomato sauce, and gently fold them in.

Step 15

Add Bucatini to the pot or bowl, cover with sauce and gently mix together; if the sauce is too thick then add a little bit of your pasta water;

Step 16

Transfer the pasta dish to a serving plate or pan (I like using my cast-iron skillet for the rustic effect).

Step 17

Add your in-shell mussels on top and sprinkle with some chopped parsley for an outstanding looking dish, and serve.