Mussels grow abundant in Patagonia's cold, clean fjords and are a staple shellfish of the south, cooked in broths and stews and layered into the great pit-cooked curanto. Plump and briny, they are one of the channels' best harvests.
Pull a mussel from its shell and it is plump, briny, and tender, the fragrant tomato-and-wine broth carrying the sweetness of the cold-sea shellfish. Bite: clean and savory, the mussels sweet and saline, the broth bright with wine and garlic, made for soaking with bread. A quick, generous taste of the Patagonian fjords.
Steaming the mussels in the aromatic broth opens them and releases their own briny liquor, which enriches and seasons the broth — the mussels and broth flavour each other. Discarding any that won't open (or stay shut) is the safety rule; wine and tomato brighten the natural salinity.
Variations
With cream. With chorizo. With chili. As a chupe (chowder). With cilantro. Over rice.
On the Palate
Where Patagonian Mussels sits in the Patagonian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 25 min active + 10 min waiting
- 110 min
Scrub and debeard 1.5 kg mussels; discard any that stay open.
Watch outTap any open mussel on the counter — a live one clamps shut; if it stays gaping, toss it, it's dead.
- 25 min
Soften chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a wide pot.
- 34 min
Add chopped tomato and cook a few minutes.
- 42 min
Pour in a splash of white wine and let it bubble.
- 52 min
Add the mussels and cover the pot.
- 66 min
Steam 5-6 min, shaking, until the shells open.
Watch outSteam just until the shells pop open, shaking the pot to cook them evenly — pull them the moment they're open or the meat turns rubbery.
- 72 min
Discard any unopened mussels; season the broth.
Watch outAny mussel still clamped shut after steaming goes in the bin — don't pry it open, a stubborn one isn't safe to eat.
- 82 min
Serve in bowls with the broth and bread.
