Mussels are one of the foods I really love. But here in the desert southwest of the US, not always the easiest to find. I’m more likely to pick them up as a treat when they are available, than to seek them out. Good thing, it took me my 4th (and 2nd extremely fancy) grocery store visit to find any. Hopefully for everyone else, this was an easier effort!
I normally pick a simple wine and butter method for preparation, so this was a departure to make the mussels with a tomato sauce. The chorizo was a different addition too. And not the typical Mexican version found more often in the southwest. Luckily, that was available pretty easily too.
Ingredients assembled and prepped. I chose to add a few clams into the mix.
The onions, red bell pepper, garlic, thyme and seasonings are given a quick saute in a bit of olive oil. Then the choizo and tomatoes are added and simmered a bit until the flavors blend together a bit.
Finally, some wine and the mussels are added, then the whole mixture is covered to create some steam – for just a few minutes. You can shake the pan if you like to mix them up a bit, but they are ready in just a few minutes – you know when they are opened up.
The mussels and their sauce can either be served with pasta, or served with some fresh bread to soak up the juices.
This was pretty tasty. But I think next time I might make some changes. I think I might trade out some of the tomatoes for some broth. I could even see switching out the Spanish chorizo w our local Mexican chorizo – I think I’d rather have it more evenly mixed in with the sauce – and it would be a great flavor combination.
Still, this was a very good dish, and a quick and easy one too!
dulceshome 
There were some great flavors going on here, weren’t there? (And lots of fun ways to change it up)
Glad you enjoyed!
I have nothing but LOVE for this recipe. Mussels are definitely a treat! I do not have access to the fresh Mexican chorizo and am very curious as to how would that work out.
Happy to hear that you were able to find everything. Some weeks really do turn into quite the treasure hunt.
Great post. I did not have time to hunt down fresh mussels for this recipe so I caught up on one. And I was thinking that the Mexican chorizo would be good in this dish. After seeing what you all have done, even in oceanless AZ, I’ll make sure to catch up on this recipe soon.
This is a great post!! I loved seeing the before and after of the mussels and clams going into the pot. Hope everything is going well for you!
wow! love the addition of the clams!! great job!!
I used the Mexican as for some reason the Spanish version was nowhere to be found. Just cook it up prior to making the dish so you aren’t keeping the fat in the broth. This recipe is a keeper! Glad you enjoyed it!
I feel so lucky to be in Florida where mussels are plentiful! This was a great dish and we really enjoyed it! Your dinner looks delicious…love that you mixed the shellfish! Nice post!
Great idea to add some broth! I like in the Southern California Desert, and frequently find items challenging to find. I only found one form of mussels and one form of chorizo. Still enjoyed it and really loved the sauce on its own. Great post and photos!
I loved this one too. I think this would be equally delicious with all clams, so I’ll bet a few clams in the mix was excellent. So many options to vary this one. I was lucky and found mussels at the first store I visited. Of course, I live on the east coast, mussel country.
Looks beautiful! This is a great recipe, isn’t it? Several people made interesting changes. I like the addition of clams!
Clams, yum! Your dish looks delicious! It is really interesting to read about all the different experiences with the ingredients/ recipes from the different parts of the world.
I bet this dish was worth hunting for mussels – we loved it, too.
I think you’re right–there are all kinds of ways of changing the original recipe that would be delicious and still stay true to the basic idea. I love your idea of using the local chorizo.
Love your process photos. This dish was quite tasty!
Wow I can see the steam in your photo! Glad you found the mussels with a bit of persistence. Clams and mussels together must be quite a treat. Great dish!
No fun having to search for ingredients…but I would for this dish! Glad you enjoyed!
Sorry you had such a difficult time finding mussels. You want to be carefull when purchasing shellfish, for sure. I suspect you’re glad you made the recipe one way before deciding to return to your South-of-the-Border routes. Nice Post.