Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo is a seafood dish you can easily enjoy in your own home. If you truly love ordering mussels in a restaurant, then this recipe for Mussels Fra Diavolo is for you! Fresh mussels steamed with a few ingredients and served with some crusty bread makes a great summer meal! It’s easy to make too!
Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo is a spicy seafood dish that we enjoy making over and over again.
This is an old recipe, but I wanted to revive it from our archives because this is a great dish to make in the summertime.
We’re excited to show you how to make the most flavorful broth for this seafood dish. Tomatoes, olive oil, fresh parsley, fresh garlic, and white wine are used to make its amazing flavorful broth.
Our recipe for mussels fra diavolo will leave you coming back for more.
My husband loves to make his favorite mussels dish. He makes the broth, or as he calls it “the sauce” with a spicy kick to it.
You can never have too much bread to soak up every last drop of this restaurant-worthy sauce.
Toast French or Italian bread for a truly unforgettable meal.
TIPS for SUCCESS!
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When you buy mussels, take a closer look to make sure their shells are fully closed.
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Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to cook them. Make sure they are kept in a bag with an opening at the top, to allow them to breathe.
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While rinsing them, discard any mussels you find already open; those should be thrown out.
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You can make this seafood dish mild or spicy, by adding crushed red pepper flakes to the recipe.
Mussels Fra Diavolo is fantastic when served alone or on top of freshly cooked spaghetti.
Simply toss the spaghetti with the mussel sauce and have some toasted Italian or French bread nearby for dipping because the sauce is irresistible!
We always enjoy eating a bowl of our Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo with family and friends. A bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio will complement this dish… and will keep the conversations flying across the table for a memorable evening.
ENJOY!!
HOW TO MAKE QUICK MUSSELS – FRA DIAVOLO?
*Full recipe card below!
Ingredients Needed for Quick Mussels – Fra Diavolo:
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4 to 6 pounds fresh live Mussels in shells- rinsed clean
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4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
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8 large garlic cloves -sliced
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3/4 cup fresh parsley- chopped
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4 to 5 ripe tomatoes – chopped
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1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
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1- (28 ounce) can Italian whole peeled tomatoes-drained, rinsed
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1 cup dry white wine
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse mussels under cold running water until you remove most of the sand. Fill a huge pot with cold water again and allow them to soak for at least 15 minutes. Using your fingers, pull out any beards that are visible between the shells, and discard them. Transfer mussels into a colander and set aside. Throw away any mussels that are found open, they are bad and are not good to eat.
2. In the meantime, using a very large saucepot, heat olive oil, and garlic on medium-low heat. Sauté’ garlic until slightly golden. Add the crushed red pepper, ripe tomato, and fresh parsley. Stir for 1 minute.
3. Open can of plump tomatoes, drain all the liquid and lightly rinse. Add them into the pot and cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add wine and lower heat for about 3 minutes.
4. Add all mussels and cover. Turn the heat back on high. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
Allow mussels to simmer and steam. Use a large spoon, to stir the mussels every few minutes to infuse all flavors of the broth and to ensure even cooking. Steam for about 15 minutes. The shells will open as the mussels continue to cook while steaming.
5. Taste the broth for salt. (No salt is really needed; the mussels give enough sodium to the broth). The broth should have a slight kick to it. If desired, add more crushed red pepper and white wine to taste.
6. Transfer mussels with broth to a large serving bowl and serve immediately. Remember to serve with crusty toasted bread at the table for dipping.
Serves 4 to 6
How To Store and Freeze Mussels…
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Freeze Leftovers: You can freeze any leftover broth/sauce with mussels (but first, discard all their shells) for future use. You can freeze this sauce for up to 2 weeks.
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If you want to save leftovers, broth and mussels, for another meal, it’s best to use it the very next day. Toss them with your favorite pasta and enjoy.
How To Use Leftovers?
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If frozen, simply thaw. If you’re planning to use leftovers to make risotto, first remove and reserve any remaining “mussels” and set them aside to add them in at the very last few minutes. You can use the broth to simmer the rice with it. Then toss when the rice is fully cooked, toss in any remaining mussels into the risotto and stir until thoughly heated through. Then serve.
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You may use any leftover broth and mussels and toss both with your favorite spaghetti. Do this on the day you thaw them.
You may enjoy these seafood dishes too!
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Quick Mussels - Fra Diavolo
Quick Mussels Fra Diavolo is an easy meal that your family and friends will never forget. Simple, fresh ingredients: mussels, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic simmered to perfection will leave everyone reaching for the last piece of bread to soak up this delicious sauce. Impress your loved ones with this spectacular meal!
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pounds fresh live Mussels in shells- rinsed clean
- 4 ounces extra virgin olive oil
- 8 large garlic cloves -sliced
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley- chopped
- 4 to 5 ripe tomatoes - chopped
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1- (28 ounce) can Italian whole peeled tomatoes-drained, rinsed
- 1 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Rinse mussels under cold running water, until you remove most of the sand. Fill a huge pot with cold water again and allow them to soak for at least 15 minutes. Using your fingers, pull out any beards that are visible between the shells, and discard them.
- Transfer mussels into a colander and set aside.
- Throw away any mussels that are found open, they are bad and not good to eat.
- In the meantime, using a very large saucepot, heat olive oil, and garlic on medium-low heat. Sauté' garlic until slightly golden. Add the crushed red pepper flakes, ripe tomatoes, and fresh parsley. Stir for 1 minute.
- Open can of plump tomatoes, drain all the liquid and lightly rinse.
- Add them into the pot and cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add wine and lower heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add all mussels and cover.
- Turn the heat back on high. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
- Allow mussels to simmer and steam, using a large spoon, stirring the mussels every few minutes to infuse all flavors of the broth and to ensure even cooking. Steam for about 15 minutes. Their shells will open as mussels continue to cook while steaming.
- Taste the broth for salt. ( No salt is really needed; the mussels give enough sodium to the broth). The broth should have a slight kick to it. If desired, add more crushed red pepper and white wine to taste. Transfer mussels with broth to a large serving bowl and serve immediately. Remember to serve with crusty bread at the table for dipping.
- Serves 4 to 6
19 Comments
Jeff the Chef
July 20, 2020 at 8:33 amI love this sauce!
by Anna and Liz
July 20, 2020 at 9:14 pmWe do too! Thank you, Jeff! 🙂
Sarah Harkins
March 23, 2022 at 5:08 pmAMAZING!!!!!!!!
by Anna and Liz
March 23, 2022 at 5:53 pmHi Sarah! thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed our mussels Fra Diavolo. And welcome to our recipe blog, it’s so nice to meet you. Have a great week! 🙂
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
December 23, 2015 at 3:11 pmI love mussels! Cooked well and with the right sauce they are so delicious. Thanks so much for the tip on freezing them. I didn't know that!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
December 23, 2015 at 3:12 pmForgot to say, Merry Christmas, ladies, and a Very Happy New Year to you both!
annaliz
December 23, 2015 at 4:20 pmYour welcome Sue! Thank you and Merry Christmas to you as well!
Baca Amanda
December 22, 2015 at 3:46 amThis looks pretty delicious, love this recipe, amazing!!!
XX
http://www.missydress.com.au
annaliz
December 23, 2015 at 4:21 pmThank you Amanda- glad you like them!
Honey
December 21, 2015 at 11:02 pmooohh yum, looks so good. Love Shrimp Diavolo, always spicy! 🙂
annaliz
December 22, 2015 at 3:17 amThank you Honey!
Sue/the view from great island
December 21, 2015 at 5:31 pmThis is nothing short of magnificent!
annaliz
December 22, 2015 at 3:16 amThank you Sue!
Tricia Buice
December 20, 2015 at 12:28 pmMerry Christmas to Anna & Liz! Hope you have a wonderful 2016 🙂
annaliz
December 20, 2015 at 3:07 pmThank you Tricia !! We wish the same to you and your family as well.
Merry Christmas!!
Tricia Buice
January 21, 2015 at 1:33 amI've always wanted to make mussels – they look so elegant and I am such a chicken! You make it look easy and sounds wonderful.
annaliz
January 21, 2015 at 2:40 amHi Tricia! Well, we know you are fearless in the kitchen! So we believe you only need to try it once- and then you'll be hooked. For sure. PS.. We felt the same way for years – until we watched our Mom make them, then realized it was very easy. We hope you will give it a try- start small and cut the recipe in half and then let us know. 🙂
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Joanne
January 19, 2015 at 1:26 pmmy family LOVES mussels! I'm sure they would adore it if I made this for them!
annaliz
January 20, 2015 at 4:12 amThanks Joanne! We think they will too!