Many people prefer to eat seafood in restaurants, rather than cook it at home. However, many seafood pasta recipes are really not difficult to make and don’t leave your house smelling of fish! This pasta with mussels and tomato sauce alla Tarantina is one such dish. It’s unbelievably tasty, easy to prepare and will definitely impress your guests!
Pasta con cozze alla Tarantina.
When it comes to pasta with shellfish, our go-to dish is often linguine with clams (vongole). But, I had some great pasta with mussels and tomato sauce during a trip to Puglia and really wanted to make something similar at home.
Actually, in this case, I didn’t cook this seafood pasta dish, I just requested it! My Sicilian hubby was the chef as he’s the seafood cook a casa nostra! He made this spaghetti with mussels alla Tarantina and it was a perfect meal!
You can even serve mussels alla Tarantina without pasta, as a finger-licking dish with some crusty bread to mop up the spicy tomato sauce!
Mussels from Puglia.
This pasta with mussels recipe comes from the province of Taranto, in Puglia. There, mussels, known as Tarantine mussels, have been cultivated for over 1000 years! These mollusks are quite large and have a whitish colour. They are famous for their sweet taste. Today, Taranto is one of the leading producers of farmed mussels in the Mediterranean.
Tarantine mussels are grown on ropes and nets suspended over poles and wooden structure in the Mar Piccolo (little sea). There, a mixture of fresh water from 34 underground springs mixes with salt water to provide a special marine environment that creates favourable conditions for mussels and other kinds of fish and shellfish.
As you can imagine, mussels are an important ingredient in Apulian seafood dishes and there are some wonderful recipes with them from there. Sadly, I couldn’t find Tarantine mussels. However, the ones we used were very good and very fresh.
And, cooking the mussels the Apulian way made for a fabulous plate of pasta that looked and tasted as good, or even better, as the pasta with mussels I’ve had in restaurants.
Ingredients for spaghetti alla Tarantina.
This pasta with mussels and tomato sauce recipe has very few ingredients. All you need are fresh mussels, chopped fresh parsley, peeled and chopped garlic, tomato passata or peeled tomatoes, peperoncino flakes (red pepper flakes) and white wine. The latter is optional.
How to prepare the fresh mussels.
The most time consuming part of this recipe involves cleaning the mussels.
First, check your mussels one by one. Discard any with cracked or broken shells. If you have any open mussels, give them a gentle tap — if they don’t close within a minute or so, discard them.
Next, place the mussels in a colander or bowl in the sink. Rinse them under plenty of running cold water to remove surface dirt and grit. Use a stiff brush to scrub each mussel to remove any sand, barnacles, or debris stuck to the shell.
Finally, many mussels (not all) have a fibrous tuft sticking out from between the shells — this is called the “beard”. To remove it, hold the mussel in one hand and pull the beard firmly towards the hinge end of the shell (not towards the opening) — it may take a good tug. Alternatively, you can use a paring knife to help pull it out.
Step by Step instructions.
1) Place the washed mussels in a large pan and cook them alone over a medium heat until they open and release some liquid.
2) Remove the mussels to a large bowl and filter the remaining liquid through a fine tea towel or piece of cheese cloth into a bowl.
3) Allow the mussels to cool down a little, then discard all the mussels that didn't open. Keep some mussels in their shells and remove the other mussels from their shells.
4) In a large skillet, sauté the chopped garlic and peperoncino flakes in 3 tablespoon of olive oil, add the shelled mussels. Cook for a minute.
5) Next add the mussels in their shells and the wine if using and cook for another minute. Then add the tomato passata, the filtered mussel water, a pinch of salt and a little pepper.
6) Mix everything together and simmer over a low heat for about 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a good consistency. Add some of the chopped parsley.
7) Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the mussels and tomato sauce. Mix everything together well.
8) Plate immediately with a little more fresh parsley.
The pasta for mussels alla Tarantina.
We used a thick spaghetti made by pasta makers Felicetti for this dish, but you can also use normal spaghetti, spaghetti alla chitarra or linguine. You can also use fresh tomatoes or canned peeled tomatoes instead of passata and fresh or dried peperoncino. If you don't have fresh parsley, fresh basil is a good substitute.
Alla Tarantina is delicious without pasta too!
There are some different versions of this pasta with mussels alla Tarantina recipe, for example without any mussels in their shells, or without wine. But, I love having those mussel shells on my plate. And of course if you eat this sauce without pasta, you definitely need to keep most the mussels in their shells, otherwise you’ll have no reason to lick your fingers!
Pin for later.
If you do make this spaghetti with mussels alla Tarantina recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback means a lot to me!
Buon Appetito!
Have a look at my favorite seafood pasta recipes if you’re interested in more delicious pasta recipes!
Other shellfish pasta recipes.
Spaghetti with mussels and tomato sauce alla Tarantina.
Equipment
- 1 large skillet you can wash and use it again after cooking the mussels alone.
- 1 large bowl
- 1 small bowl for the shelled mussels
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 chopping board
- 1 cheese cloth or fine tea towel
Ingredients
- 2.2 pounds fresh mussels
- 14 ounce spaghetti or linguine
- 12.5 ounces tomato passata or canned peeled tomatoes
- 1.5 teaspoon peperoncino flakes (red chilli pepper) or chopped fresh peperoncino
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- 2.5 floz white wine optional
- salt for pasta and to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash the mussels well. remove all the debris on the shells with a wire brush and remove the beards. Peel and chop the garlic. Wash and chop the parsley.
- Place the cleaned mussels in a deep pan and cook alone on a medium heat until they open. Transfer the mussels to a large bowl to cool. Filter the mussel cooking liquid through a cheese cloth or fine tea towel into a bowl and set aside.
- Once the mussels have cooled down a little, I discard all the mussels that didn't open (see recipe notes). Keep some mussels in their shells and remove the other mussels from their shells.
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. When it starts to boil add salt.
- In a large skillet, sauté the chopped garlic, peperoncino flakes and the shelled mussels in 3 tablespoon of olive oil for a minute or two. Then add the rest of the mussels and the white wine if using. Cook for another minute or two mixing everything together.
- Next, add the tomato passata, the mussel cooking water and a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Mix everything together again and simmer over a low to medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a good consistency. Add some of the chopped parsley.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the mussels and tomato sauce. Mix everything together well. Plate the pasta and mussels and serve sprinkled with some more chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but has been updated.
Jet says
Absolutely loved the deep dive into Taranto’s mussel tradition! The step-by-step breakdown made this feel totally doable at home. I appreciate the tips on cleaning mussels—so helpful for seafood newbies like me. Can’t wait to try this with crusty bread too!
Jacqui says
Thanks for your comment Jet! I'm thrilled you enjoyed making this mussel recipe from Taranto. It's so good with just bread as well!
Lisa says
This is my college-aged daughter's favorite restaurant dish and she wanted to learn to cook it. We made it together using this recipe and we are both hooked! It's really delicious and not too hard for a not-too-experienced cook.
Jacqui says
Hi Lisa, thanks for your feedback! I'm so glad you and your daughter enjoyed this spaghetti with mussels. We make it often and as you have discovered it's not so difficult and so delicious!
Maggie says
So delicious! My family is already craving it again!
Jacqui says
My family love this mussel spaghetti too, Maggie! We make it very often!
Nisha says
The mussels truly impart such a nice flavor to the dish it was so easy to make it and tasted delicious!
Jacqui says
Thanks for your review Nisha. Yes!The mussels really add a fabulous flavor to this spaghetti recipe!
Karen Forbes says
WOW .... Absolutely fantastic.
This is going to be a staple dinner in our household from now on ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beth says
I rarely see mussels for sale but maybe I need to be more alert to hunting for them. I imagine they must give a great flavor to pasta!
Cory Varga says
We are going to a dinner party next Saturday and we are making pasta together. Guess what recipe I will be using for the sauce. It looks so so good!
Debbie says
Spaghetti with mussels is such a simple but delicious meal. I always love ready your post, so much great information .
Leslie says
I always forget to make seafood with pasta. This looks absolutely incredible!
Marwin Brown says
This looks tasty and flavorful! What a great combination of flavors!
Pam Greer says
I've had mussels with a white wine sauce, but never with a red! Definitely going to be giving this a try!
The Pasta Project says
You will love this just as much Pam, it is delicious!
Tatiana says
Mussels with tomato sauce is just so good! I'll try this recipe as soon as I get my hands on all the ingredient!
The Pasta Project says
I agree with you Tatiana, I hope you get all the ingredients soon!
Eva says
I have a difficult relationship with mussels, as I refused to eat them until I was 26, then I just tried and discovered I liked them, and only two years later a nasty food poisoning completely ruined mussels for me. Haven't dared to eat them again ever since. But your pictures did awaken some craving, and I started thinking that pasta with mussels could be a soft start into trying to eat them again. Wouldn't dare to eat the actual shellfish, but I could probably appreciate the flavour in the pasta sauce. It's been too long since I've had shellfish pasta so right now I could actually say yes to mussel pasta!
The Pasta Project says
I hate it when that happens, Eva! I hope you find a way to enjoy seafood again!
Marta says
You are speaking my language with this mussels and pasta dish! I am big fan of mussels, but I don't think I've ever had them in a tomato sauce.
The Pasta Project says
Once you try it, Marta, it will be on your favourites list!
Amanda says
This is such a classy meal! The mussels really make it impressive, and that tomato sauce is so delicious and perfect for crusty bread.
The Pasta Project says
Absolutely, Amanda! There are so many good homemade bread recipes too, so you can have the perfect meal!
Georgina @ CulinaryTravels says
I absolutely love pasta. I had spaghetti with muscles in Naples and it was scrumptious. I’ll try your recipe soon.
The Pasta Project says
Hopefully, you can recreate a little bit of the holiday in your kitchen, Georgina!
Lathiya says
Mussels are often used in our Kerala cuisine but I haven't seen with Pasta. This looks delicious.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you, Lathiya. I just looked at some photos of Kerala - absolutely beautiful!
Saif says
This spaghetti looks absolutely delicious. I love when you added the mussel. Anything with seafood is always the best.
The Pasta Project says
Thank you for your comment, Saif. I agree, seafood pasta is delicious!
Angela says
My 9 year old son loves mussels. He loves pasta of course too. He would love this combo and have fun eating it.
The Pasta Project says
What great taste he has! This sounds like the perfect dinner time recipe for you to try!
Gillian Kent says
This looks divine. My son loves mussels and loves to cook. I will suggest that we do this for one of our weekend get togthers.
The Pasta Project says
How lucky! It is delicious, hopefully you get to try it!