Chefs' Recipes

Spaghetti with mussels and chilli

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for spaghetti with mussels and chilli.

By Brigitte Hafner & Daniel Whelan
  • 15 mins preparation
  • 30 mins cooking
  • Serves 4
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Spaghetti with mussels and chilli
"We used Mount Martha mussels that had been harvested the morning before we bought them," says Hafner. "And that's the thing about mussels - for them to be fantastic they really have to be super-fresh."
Get Mitch's basic pasta recipe <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-search/chefs-recipes/2014/2/basic-pasta-recipe/">here</a>.

Ingredients

  • 100 ml dry white wine
  • 1 kg mussels, scrubbed
  • 200 gm dried spaghetti
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 2 small zucchini, cut into julienne
  • ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
  • ½ cup (loosely packed) basil
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
  • To serve: lemon wedges (optional)
Pangrattato
  • 200 gm stale white baguette, cut into small cubes (about ½)
  • 50 ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

Method

Main
  • 1
    For pangrattato, preheat oven to 250C. Combine ingredients in a bowl, season to taste, then scatter on an oven tray and bake, shaking occasionally, until golden (5-10 minutes). Set aside.
  • 2
    Bring wine to the boil in a large saucepan over high heat, add mussels, cover with a lid and shake occasionally until mussels open (4-6 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, reserving cooking liquid, and set aside. When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove from shells and set aside.
  • 3
    Boil spaghetti in a large saucepan of salted water until al dente (5-7 minutes), then drain.
  • 4
    Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add garlic and sauté until pale golden (1 minute). Add zucchini and chilli and cook until zucchini is tender (1-2 minutes). Add mussels, basil, tarragon, 60ml reserved cooking liquid and pasta and toss to combine. Season drizzle with olive oil, scatter with pangrattato and serve with lemon wedges.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: Peroni Nastro Azurro beer or Pieropan Soave. Drink suggestion by James Broadway