Looking for an authentic mussels marinara recipe? Here’s a surprising fact: the real Italian mussels marinara is made without tomato sauce.
Yes, you read that right. In Italy, Cozze alla Marinara is a traditional seafood recipe rooted in the simple, flavorful cooking of fishermen and sailors. The term alla marinara doesn’t refer to the tomato-based sauce familiar in the U.S., but rather to the “sailor-style” method of cooking: quick, fresh, and full of sea flavor.
While many associate “marinara” with a red sauce made of tomato, garlic, and oregano, - here you can find the recipe of Marinara Sauce - that’s not the case here. If you’re after mussel recipes with tomato, try Cozze alla Tarantina or Zuppa di Cozze. But for the authentic Italian mussels marinara, tomato is not part of the picture.
This traditional recipe uses just a few fresh ingredients: mussels sautéed in extra virgin olive oil, deglazed with white wine, and flavored with garlic and parsley. That’s it. The result is a light, aromatic seafood dish that brings out the natural taste of the sea.
Because the ingredient list is so simple, quality is everything. Be sure to use fresh, well-cleaned mussels for the best flavor and texture.
Mussels marinara can be served as an appetizer or a main course, accompanied by toasted bread or lemon wedges. You can even toss them with pasta for a quick and elegant seafood dinner.
This easy mussels marinara recipe is perfect for weeknights, dinner parties, or summer meals by the sea. If you love Italian seafood dishes, this is a must-try classic that delivers pure Mediterranean flavor in every bite.
Ingredients
Prep Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 10 Min | Servings: 4
- 2 kg (about 4 pounds) of mussels with shells
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 100 ml (½ cup ) of dry white wine
- a bunch (⅓ cup) of fresh parsley
Instructions
Step 1) - To prepare this Italian seafood recipe, start by cleaning mussels. Clean the mussels by scraping off any impurities with the blade of a small knife. Tear off the byssus, that is the bearded part that comes out of the shell. Then, with the help of a stainless steel sponge, clean well their shells. Remove algae and sand residues and encrustations. Discard any broken or hatched mussels.
Then rinse the mussels quickly under running water, to remove all impurities. But do not let them soak in water for long.
Step 2) - Now prepare the parsley and garlic. Depending on your taste, you may decide to chop both finely or leave them whole and remove them before serving the mussels.
In a large nonstick skillet, pour the extra virgin olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
Step 3) - Add the mussels. Stir and move them around so that the heat reaches them evenly.
As soon as you see the mussels begin to hatch, which will take a couple of minutes, pour the dry white wine.
Step 4) - Finally add the parsley. Chopped or whole as you prefer.
Cover with a lid and let all the mussels fully open.
PLEASE NOTE: If the mussels are not well spaced in the pan, but overlapping and therefore opening cannot take place at the same time we give you some useful tips. Either pull the mussels out of the pan as the shells hatch or cook the mussels a few at a time or in two pans. This is because overcooking risks making the mussels hard and rubbery.
Step 5) - When the mussels are all open, leave them on the heat for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the mussels to a serving plate and drizzle them with their filtered cooking sauce.
Serve the mussels marinara immediately with slices of homemade bread and some lemon slices.
YOU MUST ALSO TRY:
- Spaghetti allo Scoglio | Italian Seafood Pasta Recipe
- Spaghetti with Clams | Spaghetti alla Vongole
- Fish Ragu Recipe
- Octopus and Potato Salad
- Sicilian Couscous
- Stuffed Mussels (Cozze Gratinate)
Storage
Mussels marinara is a dish that you absolutely must eat right away. You cannot store or freeze it.
Tips
What Can You Use Mussel Broth For?
When you cook mussels alla Marinara, you may notice that as the mussels open, they release a lot of water.
This water, together with oil, garlic and parsley, forms a delicious sauce in which to dip slices of homemade bread. A real delicacy!
Our tip is to save the water that will surely remain in the pot and that you will not consume completely.
Mussel water is in fact a precious water. You can add it to broths and fish recipes by enhancing their flavor.
Mussel water is indeed a concentrate of flavor, but it can be full of impurities. There may be residual sand that settles to the bottom of the pot. Or pieces of garlic or parsley or even pieces of shell.
Therefore, it's best to strain the mussel water through a very fine-mesh strainer or cotton cloth.
You simply put it in an airtight jar and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can you Freeze Mussel Broth?
One method of storing it longer is to place it in the freezer. This way you can keep it for up to 2 months.
This way you will always have mussel water on hand to prepare your seafood recipes with an extra twist!
What to do with Leftover Cooked Mussels
It's best to eat mussels marinara freshly cooked. Only then can they be enjoyed at their best.
But if you don't eat them all, here's what to do!
You can store leftover mussels marinara in the refrigerator for 1-2 days in an airtight container, preferably covered in their cooking water.
Another tip is to shell the mussels and use them for other recipes within a couple of days. For example, for a risotto or to make a pasta sauce.
If there are not many, you can combine the mussels with other fish and make a delicious new recipe, such as spaghetti allo scoglio!
Of course, in these cases you will have to add the mussels only at the end of the recipe because they are already cooked. You do not need to cook them twice, but just mix them with the other ingredients for a couple of minutes.
Remember that if you overcook them, the mussels will harden or take on a floury texture.
What Pairs well with Mussels?
You can serve mussels marinara as an appetizer or as a main course. The difference is only the quantity. Serve with slices of fresh or toasted bread.
They are often used to dress pasta, usually long formats such as spaghetti or linguine. In this case, we recommend that you shell the mussels and keep some with the shell on to decorate the dish. We also recommend that you finish cooking the pasta in the mussel sauce for a richer flavor.
Variations
The recipe for mussels alla marinara is so simple that it can be considered the basic recipe for other splendid mussel recipes.
In fact, in many regions of Italy you can find recipes with the most disparate names that actually differ very little from mussels alla marinara.
It always starts with a base of mussels with hot oil, deglazed with white wine and then flavored with parsley and garlic:
- COZZE ALLA TARANTINA: In Puglia there is a variation called "Cozze alla Tarantina" that adds fresh tomatoes and lots of chili pepper.
- IMPEPATA DI COZZE: If you add a lot of ground black pepper you get the very famous Neapolitan "Impepata di Cozze."
- ZUPPA DI COZZE: Or, leaving it more brothy, you get a "Zuppa di Cozze" accompanied by generous croutons of bread.
- MUSSELS AND CLAMS: In Emilia Romagna it is customary to prepare a marinara soup of mussels and clams together.
Recipe Card
Cozze alla Marinara (Mussels Marinara Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 kg mussels - ~4 ½ pounds (with shells)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 tablespoons olive oil - extra virgin
- 100 ml dry white wine - ½ cup
- 1 bunch parsley - (fresh)
Instructions
- Clean the mussels by scraping off any impurities with the blade of a small knife. Tear off the byssus, that is the bearded part that comes out of the shell. Then, with the help of a stainless steel sponge, clean well their shells. Remove algae and sand residues and encrustations. Discard any broken or hatched mussels.
- Then rinse the mussels quickly under running water, to remove all impurities. But do not let them soak in water for long.
- Now prepare the parsley and garlic. Depending on your taste, you may decide to chop both finely or leave them whole and remove them before serving the mussels. In a large nonstick skillet, pour the extra virgin olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add the mussels. Stir and move them around so that the heat reaches them evenly.
- As soon as you see the mussels begin to hatch, which will take a couple of minutes, pour the dry white wine.
- Finally add the parsley. Chopped or whole as you prefer.
- Cover with a lid and let all the mussels fully open. When the mussels are all open, leave them on the heat for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the mussels to a serving plate and drizzle them with their filtered cooking sauce. Serve the mussels marinara immediately with slices of homemade bread and some lemon slices.
L says
Love this, thank you!!