Mussels with Olives a pungent mixture of tomatoes and olives, make a beautiful hors d’oeuvre or tapa. Serve them on a platter or on individual plates. Nice end elegant appetizer recipe

Ingredients

¼ cup dry white wine

1 cup sliced Spanish onions

½ bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt, divided use

16 mussels, thoroughly cleaned and debearded

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1½ teaspoons minced shallots

¾ teaspoon minced garlic

3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice

2 tablespoons black olives, pitted and chopped

1½ teaspoons anchovy fillets, chopped

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Method 

1. Combine the wine, onions, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and add the mussels. Cover and steam for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the mussels from the pan as they open. Reserve about ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.

2. Remove the mussels from their shells and place one mussel inside each of the halved shells.

3. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic in the oil until translucent, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, olives, anchovy fillets, and the mussel liquid. 

4. Cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the sauce over each mussel and serve 2 mussels per portion.

Tips

This particular tapa is popular in the seafood-abundant region of Cantabria, but you’ll find variations throughout coastal Spain. You may use any variety of mussel for this dish. Smaller mussels are easier to handle if you are serving this from a platter to standing guests.