Mussels steamed in beer, butter and Spanish chorizo. Served with ciabatta toast.
Where this dish comes from
Cozze alla marinara — mussels in tomato sauce — is a staple of Neapolitan and Campanian seafood cooking, where the combination of shellfish and tomato in a white-wine-and-garlic broth represents the fundamental flavor vocabulary of southern Italian coastal cuisine. The term "marinara" refers to the cooking style of the "mariners" — the fishermen of Naples and the Amalfi Coast who historically paired whatever catch they had with the quickly made tomato sauce that could be assembled from pantry staples on a boat. The Italian-American version became a standard first course at red-sauce seafood restaurants from New York to Boston.
Cheffy’s note
The mussel broth is the dish — treat it accordingly. The white wine must be something you'd drink; the garlic butter must be generously applied; the mussel steaming liquid must go into the sauce rather than down the drain. The combined broth of mussel liquor, wine, garlic butter, and marinara is one of the best things you can put in a bowl. Use PEI mussels when possible — they're farmed, reliably clean, and consistently excellent.