These parmesan marinara-tahini baked mussels make a terrific, easy first course for a celebration dinner, especially a romantic dinner for two on Valentine’s Day.
Have This!
- Two dozen large mussels
- A cup Marinara Sauce
- One-third cup butter melted
- Three cloves minced garlic
- Two cups crusty breadcrumbs
- One tsp chopped fresh thyme
- Pinch coarsely ground black pepper
- One-third cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- One cup tahini
Do This!
- Wash the mussels and pull off any beards that may still be attached to the shell. A pair of needle-nose pliers works well for this.
- Discard any mussels with cracked or broken shells and those that do not remain closed after a minute when you pinch them together. Also, discard the one that do not open during the cooking time.
- Bring one inch of water to a boil in a large covered pot. Add it, cover the pot and let them steam for only three minutes to open the shells.
- Remove the top shell and loosen the mussels from the half of the shells that they are attached to before laying them in a baking dish.
- Spoon about a teaspoonful of marinara sauce and tahini over each in their shells.
- Over medium heat melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the garlic. Cook for just a minute to soften it.
- Add the bread crumbs, chopped thyme, and black pepper. Stir to combine well, then toss in the Parmesan cheese.
- Spoon the crumbs evenly over the marinara sauce covered mussels. Press the crumbs down gently and bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.