Steamed Mussels with Scallops & Merguez

From fineCooking Magazine, June/July 2011 & CookFresh iPad app

Printable Recipe

Hands on time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp olive oil
8oz/ 227g merguez sausages (next time I’ll use smoked chorizo)
8oz/ 227g scallops (if you can’t find fresh, buy dry packed)
1 cup Spring garlic stalks, chopped or 1 small onion plus 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
¾ tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 (14oz/394ml) can diced roasted tomatoes and the juice
1 cup white wine (the magazine calls for dry, but we had a sweet white sparkling wine called Nova 7 from Nova Scotia- the sweetness beautifully balanced the spicy sausage)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1lb/450g mussels (the fresher the better)

Directions:
1. Just before you are ready to cook the dish, wash the mussels under cold running water and remove the “beards”.

2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and when it’s hot, add some olive oil and sear the merguez. If you are using smoked chorizo, you can eliminate this step. Just cut the chorizo into ¼ “ thick slices. If you are cooking the merguez, turn once or twice to make sure they are cooked through (about 5 minutes). Remove from the pan and slice into 1” pieces. Do not discard the oil, which is now flavored from the meat and perfect for the scallops.

3. In the same skillet, sear the scallops no more than 2 minutes per side. You will be adding them to mussels and don’t want to over cook them.

4. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven (with a cover) over medium high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pot (could be from the merguez & scallops). Add chopped spring garlic stalks or onions and garlic, and sauté until they’re fragrant and translucent. Stir to prevent burning (3-4 minutes). You just want them soft.

5. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook just until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the tomatoes, wine, merguez, and thyme and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels & scallops to the pot. Stir, to coat the mussels with the sauce. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Shake the pot occasionally, until the mussels are all open (about 8-10 minutes).

Serve with a mixed green salad with simple vinaigrette and some fresh baguettes for ripping and dipping.