Mussels with Rice
A Black Sea seaside favourite from Varna and Burgas — mussels steamed open in white wine, then cooked into a loose rice with onion and their own briny liquor, finished with parsley and lemon.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg live mussels in the shell, scrubbed and debearded
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 250 g rice, rinsed
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 400 ml hot water
- 0.5 tsp black pepper, ground
- to taste salt
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Nutrition (estimated)
high confidenceRecipe total: 3129 kcal · P 202.8g · C 294.1g · F 110.8g
Estimated from 11 of 12 ingredients
Approximate estimate, calculated from the ingredients.
Steps
Steps
- 1Discard any mussels with broken shells or that stay open when tapped. Put the rest in a wide pot with the wine, cover and steam over high heat for 4–5 minutes, shaking the pot, until the shells open.
- 2Tip them into a colander set over a bowl to catch the liquor and discard any that stayed shut. Shell two-thirds of the mussels and keep the rest in their shells for the top.
- 3Strain the liquor through a fine sieve or kitchen paper to remove any sand, then make it up to 600 ml with the hot water.
- 4Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the onions for 8 minutes until soft and golden, adding the garlic for the last minute.
- 5Add the rice and stir for 3 minutes until the grains turn translucent at the edges, then take off the heat and stir in the paprika.
- 6Pour in the hot mussel liquid, add the pepper, bring to the boil and simmer gently, covered, for 12 minutes.
- 7Stir in the shelled mussels, taste for salt — the liquor is already salty, so add little — and cook for 3–5 minutes more until the rice is tender and loose with a little liquid left. Adding the mussels at the end is what stops them turning rubbery.
- 8Off the heat, fold in most of the parsley, arrange the mussels in their shells on top, cover and rest for 5 minutes.
- 9Scatter with the remaining parsley and serve with the lemon wedges and a glass of chilled white wine.
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Questions and answers
How long does Mussels with Rice take to make?
About 60 minutes: 25 min prep and 35 min cooking.
What ingredients do you need for Mussels with Rice?
12 ingredients: live mussels in the shell, dry white wine, sunflower oil, onions, garlic cloves, rice, sweet paprika, hot water, black pepper, salt, parsley, lemon.
How many servings does this Mussels with Rice recipe make?
4 servings. The servings buttons above the ingredients rescale every amount.
How many calories are in a serving of Mussels with Rice?
About 782 kcal, with 50.7 g protein, 73.5 g carbohydrate and 27.7 g fat. This is an estimate from the ingredients, not a lab analysis.
Which diets does this Mussels with Rice recipe suit?
It is gluten-free and dairy-free.
What cuisine is Mussels with Rice?
Mussels with Rice comes from Bulgarian cuisine.
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