Bruschetta Mussels, best paired with a vibrant and crisp Sauvignon Blanc

OUR WINE PAIRING RECOMMENDATION IS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KONO WINES

Recipe by Caralee Fontenele
Photography and styling by Jo Anderson

Bruschetta Mussels

These little morsels are so delicious and so easy to make when entertaining this Christmas. They are also really healthy with the most simple and fresh ingredients. 

Makes: approximately 32.
Preparation: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 5 minutes.

Ingredients

Mussels

1kg NZ green-lipped mussels

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 cup vegetable broth

½ cup white wine

Bruschetta 

5 ripe tomatoes, finely diced

1/2 red onion, finely diced

3 sprigs basil, chopped

1 clove garlic, grated

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Discard any with broken shells. 

Heat the oil in a large stockpot. Sauté the garlic and onion. Add the vegetable broth and white wine. Place the mussels in the broth, cover the pot and steam over medium-high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

For the bruschetta: combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. 

When cool enough to handle, open the mussels, remove the beard and one side of the shell. Loosen the mussel meat in the other shell and just allow the meat to sit inside the shell so that it is easy to eat. Place all the half shell mussels on a plate and top each with a spoonful of the bruschetta before serving.

Wine pairing recommendation: Kono Wines 2019 Sauvignon Blanc

Bring out the best of these Bruschetta Mussels with Kono’s vibrant and crisp 2019 Sauvignon Blanc. Its pure and intense flavours of a variety of Marlborough’s distinct sub-regions come to the fore when paired with shellfish like Greenshell Mussels.