Baked mussels with mozzarella and Parmesan
The natural briny flavor of mussels blend with tangy tomato sauce and creamy cheese. These baked mussels on the half shell make a good appetizer or cocktail food.
Ingredients
- ½ kilo fresh mussels on the shell
- salt
- pepper
- ½ cup chunky tomato sauce
- 150 grams mozzarella thinly sliced
- Parmesan grated
- chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse, scrub and rinse the mussels. Repeat a few times.
- Place the mussels in a bowl, sprinkle in a tablespoon of salt and pour in enough water to cover. Cover the bowl and soak in the fridge for two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 475F.
- Drain the mussels and pull out the beard.
- Spread the cleaned mussels on a baking tray. Cook at 475F for one minute. You just want the shells to open so don't overcook them.
- Take the mussels out of the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Leave the oven on.
- Open the mussels, break off the empty half shells and discard. If some of the flesh sticks to both sides of the shell, use a small spoon to separate the flesh sticking on the side of the shell that you're going to discard.
- Arrange the mussels on the half shell in a single layer in a clean baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Ladle a teaspoonful of tomato sauce on each mussel. Top with a slice of mozzarella. Sprinkle the mussels with grated Parmesan.
- Return the mussels into the oven and cook for one to two minutes, or until the cheeses have melted.
- Take the mussels out of the oven, transfer to a plate (or plates), sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.