Recipe - Mussels in white wine with linguine

4:00pm Thursday 30th March 2006

As the evenings get lighter, give those heavy, wintry meat dishes the elbow and opt for seafood instead. Sharon Cochrane offers the following guidelines in Seafood (Ryland, Peters & Small).

Always buy from a reputable source and choose whatever looks freshest and the best on the day.

Store in a refrigerator and preferably eat it on the day of purchase. If using frozen, ensure it is thoroughly thawed before cooking.

Fresh shellfish should always be alive. Tap any open mussels or clams against the work surface they should close when you do so. Discard any that stay open.

Mussels in white wine with linguine

(serves 4)

1kg fresh mussels, in the shell

300g dried pasta such as linguine or tagliatelle

150ml dry white wine

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil, to serve

Scrub and debeard the mussels. Tap them all against the work surfaces and discard any that don't close and any with damaged shells.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add a good pinch of salt, then the pasta, and cook until al dente, or according to the timings on the packet.

Meanwhile, put the wine, garlic and chilli in another large saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for five minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Add the mussels, cover with a lid and cook for five minutes, shaking the pan from time to time, until all the shells have opened. Discard any that remain closed.

Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pan. Add the parsley and mussels and toss gently to mix.

Divide among four bowls, sprinkle with olive oil and serve immediately.