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mussels carbonara

Mussels Carbonara

  • Author: colm
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Total Time: 25
  • Yield: serves 4
  • Category: sustainable seafood
  • Method: steaming
  • Cuisine: seafood

Ingredients

Scale
  • 800g / 1.7lbs mussels
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 6 large shallots (finely sliced)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 125ml / 1 cup white wine
  • 300g / 10.5oz linguini
  • 230ml / 1 cup of cream
  • 4 large eggs yolks (beaten)

Instructions

  1. Scrub the mussels shells clean and pull out any beards. Then wash them thoroughly in a couple of changes of cold water to remove any sand or grit.
  2. Dump any you come across that are open and don’t close with a tap on the side of the sink. They’re dead already and you definitely don’t want to eat them.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the shallots and garlic and saute gently for 3/4 minutes without colour.
  4. Turn the heat under the pan to maximum and add in the mussels, thyme, bay, and white wine.
  5. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam the mussels for about 3 minutes until the shells begin to pop open.
  6. Pull the pot of mussels to the side of the stove and keep the lid on to allow them to finish cooking while you cook your pasta.
  7. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to the boil and throw in the linguini. Cook for approximately 2 minutes till al dente.
  8. Once cooked drain the pasta from the water and add it to the mussels. Pour in the cream then place the pan back on the heat and toss everything together making sure the pasta gets well coated in the mussel sauce.
  9. Stir in the beaten egg and mix well then pull the pan from the heat to stop the eggs scrambling.
  10. Season with a couple of twists of black pepper and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil then serve a.s.a.p with some crusty bread and a glass of your favourite pinot grigio.