Mussels must be among the most affordable non plant based proteins you can eat. A bag of mussels from the supermarket serves around four people as a starter or two people as a main course and costs well under £3. Bargain.

I have a recipe for Moules marinière on this blog which has a creamy sauce and uses wine but this recipe originated because I didn’t have any wine in stock so I improvised with the vermouth. Another key difference is that this recipe has plenty of broth – it’s more like a soup really. You need to take your time eating this dish as there are a lot of shells to navigate and you get a bit messy along the way – but that’s the pleasure of slow food.

I had some spinach to use up so I added this to the pot just before serving.

Ingredients

• Bag of mussels
• Shallot or small onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Large pinch of saffron, steeped in hot water
• Half a tin of tomatoes
• 300 ml boiling water
• Wine glass of vermouth
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Olive oil

Method

1. Clean the mussels thoroughly in cold water and remove the beards. Discard any open mussels.
2. In a large pot or saucepan heat the olive oil and on a low heat cook the shallot/onion, garlic and chilli flakes.
3. Add the tomatoes, saffron, vermouth and water and bring to the boil.
4. Add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook for 5 – 10 minutes or until the mussels are open. Discard any mussels which didn’t open.

Serve with French fries or crusty bread.