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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Mussels Marinara with Garlic and Basil

Published: Feb 7, 2023 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This recipe for mussels marinara is easy, quick and full of fresh flavors! Fresh mussels are gently simmered in a simple and flavorful marinara sauce with garlic, white wine and basil. And don't forget the crusty bread to sop up the delicious marinara sauce!

Easy and quick mussels marinara recipe served with toasted bread.

Mussels marinara is a simple Italian American recipe that is cooked in nearly 20 minutes. The longest part of the recipe is cleaning the mussels, which will be explained further in this post.

The cleaned mussels are then simmered in a simple marinara sauce with garlic and basil and cooked until the mussels just open up. Then grab some crusty bread (or roasted garlic and herb focaccia) and dig into the flavorful marinara sauce! For another Seafood recipe with an Italian Spin, try my Halibut Piccata.

Jump to:
  • A Little Story
  • 🥫 Ingredients
  • 💦 How to Clean Mussels
  • 📍How to Make Mussels Marinara
  • Recipe Tips
  • 🍝 Variations and Substitutions
  • More Seafood Recipes to Try
  • Mussels Marinara with Garlic and Basil

A Little Story

Each year on my birthday (which is Halloween!), I have one request. To cook a bunch of fresh mussels in marinara sauce. I grab the crusty bread and happily dip it into the flavorful marinara sauce with a scoop of sauce in the mussel shell and there is nothing better!

Mussels marinara is childhood favorite of mine. As kids, my cousins, grandparents aunt and uncle would frequent a New Jersey restaurant called Ilvento's, which is no longer around. We would order bowls of mussels marinara and happily dig in until the bowl was empty. And now as an adult, I make my own mussels marinara recipe each year on my birthday (or sometimes I'll switch it up and make Thai Coconut Curry Mussels.)

🥫 Ingredients

  • Mussels: Look for fresh mussels without any cracks in the shell. Mussels should be cooked the same day they are bought and always kept cold. More on how to clean mussels below.
  • Olive Oil: This will be used to saute the chopped garlic.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves that are finely chopped or sliced. When buying garlic, look for tight packed cloves and cloves without any green stems growing out of the cloves.
  • White Wine: A touch of white wine brings a layer of acidity to the recipe. Use a lighter style such as Pinot Grigio.
  • Crushed Tomatoes: Use crushed canned tomatoes or passata, which are strained tomatoes.
  • Fresh Basil: A few fresh basil leaves are added to the simple marinara sauce, with some for garnish too.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: This is optional, but if you prefer a bit more heat and spice, add pinch of red pepper flakes, as garnish.

💦 How to Clean Mussels

It takes longer the clean mussels than it is to cook with them, but it will be worth it! Here is a simple step by step on how to clean mussels before cooking.

  1. Once you bring home the mussels from the store, remove them from the bag and place the mussels on top of ice in a large bowl and keep them cold in the refrigerator.
  2. When ready to cook, use a Shellfish scrubber or something similar and scrub each mussel under cold water.
  3. Each mussel has a “beard”, which is how the mussel holds onto rocks in the water and needs to be removed before cooking. Use a towel and pull off each beard.
  4. Place the cleaned mussels in ice cold water until ready to cook.
  5. Discard any mussels with cracked or broken shells and mussels that don’t open/close when tapped gently.
Pull the beard off of each mussel then soak mussels in cold water.
Soak the de-bearded mussels in ice cold water before cooking with them.

The next time you purchase mussels, same some and make a hearty French bouillabaisse!

📍How to Make Mussels Marinara

Mussels cook in less than 10 minutes, which makes this recipe a perfect weeknight meal or appetizer!

  1. Bring a medium sized skillet to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.
  2. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.
  3. Pour in white wine and let that reduce for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the crushed tomatoes and fresh basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Give the sauce a good stir and simmer for 10 minutes so all the flavors come together.
  5. Remove the cleaned mussels from the cold water and add them into the sauce and give them a gentle stir.
  6. Place a lid on the skillet and cook until the mussels just open up, about 6-7 minutes.
  7. Once done, transfer the mussels marinara to a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes.
Sauté chopped garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
Add crushed tomatoes to the garlic and olive oil stir together.
Add roughly chopped basil to the simmering marinara sauce.
Add clean mussels to simmering marinara sauce and cook until the mussels just open.

Recipe Tips

  • When soaking the mussels in water, add a ½ teaspoon of flour or salt to the water. This will help the mussels spit out any sand or debris.
  • Discard any broken or cracked mussel shells.
  • Mussels are best cooked and eaten on the same day they are purchased.

🍝 Variations and Substitutions

  • Add cooked linguine to the mussels marinara for a main course option.
  • Add a teaspoon of chopped Calabrian peppers to the marinara sauce for a spicier flavor.
  • Instead of mussels, use the same recipe with clams.
Mussels steamed in marinara sauce and garnished with fresh basil leaves.
How long should you cook mussels?

Mussels cook very quickly and in about 6-7 minutes. Cook the mussels until they just open up and discard any mussels that don't open after cooking.

Do you need to clean mussels before cooking?

Yes its very important to clean the mussels before cooking. Mussels can hold sand and other debris in the shells and the outside of the shell can have rocks and other debris. Take the time to rinse, scrub and remove the beards from each mussel.

More Seafood Recipes to Try

  • Coconut Curry Mussels
  • Steamed Clams with White Wine and Garlic
  • Shrimp Scampi with White Wine and Parmesan
  • Spanish Garlic Shrimp with Paprika
Steamed mussels in marinara sauce topped with fresh basil leaves.

Mussels Marinara with Garlic and Basil

Samantha Ferraro

LittleFerraroKitchen.com

Mussels marinara is easy, quick and full of flavors! Mussels gently simmer in a simple and flavorful marinara sauce with garlic, white wine and basil.
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 215 kcal

Equipment

  • skillet
  • Nesting Bowls

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 pounds mussels
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • ¼ cup white wine such as Pinot Grigio
  • 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves + more for garnish
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Red pepper flakes optional for garnish
  • Toasted bread for serving

Instructions
 

  • Keep the cleaned mussels soaked in ice cold before until ready to cook.
  • Bring a medium sized skillet to medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Pour in the white wine and let that reduce for 30 seconds.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes and fresh basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Give the sauce a good stir and simmer for 10 minutes so all the flavors can come together.
  • Remove the cleaned mussels from the cold water and add them into the sauce and give them a gentle stir, so the sauce begins to coat the mussels.
  • Place a lid on the skillet and cook until the mussels just open up, about 6-7 minutes.
  • Once done, transfer the mussels marinara to a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes and serve with roasted bread.

Video

Notes

  • Mussels are best enjoyed the same day they are purchased. 
  • Do not reheat mussels, plan on purchasing, cleaning and cooking on the same day.
  • Mussels have a lot of water in them, so don't add any more water to the sauce. The sauce will loosen up once the mussels are simmering.  
  • Discard any broken or cracked shells. 

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 16gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 651mgPotassium: 827mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 712IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 6mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

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Comments

  1. Luv2cook says

    August 07, 2023 at 9:43 am

    5 stars
    We learned so much from this recipe. Mussels cook super fast and We learned the right way to clean Mussels. What a huge difference in the recipe when we cleaned them correctly. Mussels Marinara with Garlic and Basil ois our new favorite Mussel recipe.

    Reply
  2. MrnMrsindkitchen says

    August 03, 2023 at 12:32 pm

    5 stars
    We love all shellfish and learned a few things. Scrubbing and cleaning shellfish correctly is Mandatory. Follow the directions Chef Samantha laid out in the recipe. The first time I cooked shellfish I definitely overcooked them As soon as they start opening take them off the fire. This is such a great recipe. Make sure you have a great crusty bread for dipping into the wonderful broth.

    Reply
  3. Skylar says

    June 17, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is WONDERFUL it's fantastic. The Mediterranean recipes on Samantha's page are fun, we found some ingredients at Ralphs. We are waiting for her latest cookbook that we ordered yesterday. The first cookbook is Wonderful.

    Reply
5 from 10 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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