Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the shallots, garlic and chorizo until the shallots are soft and the chorizo is
Fresh mussels
W I T H C H O R I ZO A N D W I L D RO C K ET Collecting fresh mussels straight off the rocks is one of my favourite holiday pastimes. Walking along the rugged shoreline at low tide, scouring the rocks for those big beauties is a treat for me. The sea is a beautiful and powerful force, to be respected at all times, and its offerings are magnificent. If harvested responsibly, it can give the casual holidaymaker such bounty. Usually I like to prepare my mussels as simply as possible, but here I make an exception because I am sure that very few of you will have regular access to mussels off the rocks and will, in all likelihood, be using storebought ones. Even so, always try to get the freshest possible. This recipe, with all its big flavours, should add a bit of glamour to them.
25 ml olive oil 3 shallots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 250 g chorizo, chopped 150 ml white wine 1 kg fresh mussels in the shell 10 g fresh thyme leaves 250 g wild rocket
1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the shallots, garlic and chorizo until the shallots are soft and the chorizo is starting to crisp. 2. Add the wine, mussels and thyme, cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the mussels open (discard any mussels that don’t open). 3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the rocket. Ladle the mussels into serving bowls and pour over the sauce. 4. Serve with a chilled Fumé Blanc and some flat breads to mop up the delicious sauce. Serves 4–6
