MEJILLONES A LA MARINERA

This recipe is quite commun in Spain, you can buy mejillones, mussles, , all the year, they have a modest price, and cooked this way, well, just try.................

Most of the mussles comes from Ria de Aroza the largest of the five Rias Baixas in Galicia, nort-vest of Spain, where the fish farms are placed in the " rias", a saline estuary. Every year Galicia produce 240 000 tons, it means over the half of the word-wide production.

Contain almost no grease, between 0,5 and 2 % (depending on the way you cook it, it can be a lot more) , aport protein, contains group B vitamins,and iodin,iron, calsium,sodium , phosphor and magnesium.

Tinned mejillones are avalable in any supermarket, the quality can be very different, but have a look at ;
www.luisescuris.com
www.conservasdecambados.com
www.portomuinos.com. Mixed with algae,
where you can buy the best, manufactured by hand, on- line.

My husband loves all the sea can give of food, and he's the best cooking it too, today he made my favorite mejillones dish, so juuuuuummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!, and we enjoyed them by the pool with a glass of Ice cold Lambrusco Rossato.

Shopping-list;

1 kg mejillones.             ( mussles)
1 cebolla grande.           (big onion)
3 dientes de ajo.            (garlic cloves)
AOVE.                         ( extra virgen olive oil)
Tomate frito.                  (Tomato sauce)
Oregano.                       (oregano)
Sal y pimienta.               ( salt and pepper)
Guindilla                        ( chilli, optional)

Clean the mussles well, and save, slice the onion finely, peel and chop the garlics, have a little olive oil in a skillet, a couple of spoons is enough, and let fry on medium fire, until transparent.
Then add the Tomate Frito, see BASIC, RECIPES, the oregano, the pepper, careful with the salt, and if you like the chilli, mix and let cook for 5 min.
You can buy the Tomate Frito ready in tin or brick at the super, but then add a little sugar, or sweetner.

This can be done in advance, and just add the mussles some min. before you are going to serve,
cover and let cook until the mussles are open, but not more, then they will shrink and be dryer, here is where Armando my husband is the master, they are perfect.

We use the shells to scoop the onion and the sauce, and it's permitted to dip bread also.

Lots of restaurants has this on the menu, if you don't want to cook it yourself, but don't miss it.

The best mussels recipe.

By the pool.

Not a single mussle left.