Mussels in Tomato Broth

Ingredients

• 600 gmussels (meat weight), meat weight; buy about four times this in the shell
• ½can (796 ml) diced tomatoes
• 4cloves garlic
• ½medium onion
• 3 tspextra-virgin olive oil
• 250 mllow-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ tspcayenne or chili flakes
• 10 gfresh parsley
• 2 tsplemon juice
• 6slices sourdough bread, crusty, to serve

Method

1. Rinse the mussels in cold water, scrub off any grit and pull off the hairy beards. Tap any open mussels on the counter: discard any that do not close within a minute, and any with cracked shells.

2. Finely dice the onion and slice the garlic.

3. Heat the oil in a large wide pot with a lid over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until soft.

   3 min timer

4. Add the diced tomatoes, broth and chili flakes and simmer for 5 minutes.

   5 min timer

5. Turn the heat to high, add the mussels, cover tightly and steam for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pot once, until the shells open.

   5 min timer

6. Discard any mussels that stay closed. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice.

7. Ladle the mussels and broth into bowls and serve with crusty bread for the broth. Put out an empty bowl for the shells.

Storing and reheating

Eat the same day.