Steamed Mussels Marinara – Mussels in Tomato sauce

This mussels marinara recipe is a classic Italian dish where fresh mussels are simmered in a vibrant and aromatic tomato sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s a quick and easy mussels recipe that combines the sweet, briny taste of juicy mussels with the bold flavors of a rich marinara sauce made with tomatoes, garlic, onion and white wine. Add a dash of red pepper flakes for some extra heat. Serve as an appetizer or main dish with crusty bread to dip in the delicious tomato sauce.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. For further info, please see my Disclosure

Which ingredients to use

• Mussels: Use fresh or vacuum-packed mussels in their shell for this recipe. Keep them stored in the fridge until ready to cook. Fresh mussels should be cooked the same day they are purchased, while vacuum-packed mussels should be used by the date indicated on the packaging. This recipe calls for mussels in shell, not just the mussel meat.
• White wine: Choose a dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Soave or Albariño for enhancing the flavor and complexity of this dish. Should you prefer not to cook with wine, add some water with a tablespoon of mild apple cider vinegar instead.
• Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil to sauté the aromatics and tomatoes.
• Onion: Use a medium sized onion, any type, or 2 shallots.
• Garlic: Garlic adds a punch of flavor. Use as much as you prefer according to personal taste. I use 2 cloves in this recipe.
• Tomatoes: I prefer to work with fresh produce. When in season, use ripe, juicy tomatoes for a delicious marinara sauce. Choose naturally sweet and meaty tomatoes like Beef, San Marzano, Roma, Plum or any other tomatoes you love. When tomatoes are not in season, use a can of whole peeled tomatoes which you can mix to break them up.
• Red pepper flakes: Adds a gentle level of heat to this mussels marinara recipe. An alternative to red pepper flakes is cayenne pepper.
• Salt and pepper: As mussels are briny in taste, be moderate with adding salt. Do add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.
• Basil: Add fresh basil (or dried if you don’t have fresh leaves) to the tomato sauce for extra flavor.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley provides color and freshness. Add as garnish before serving.
• Lemon: Optionally serve this dish with a few wedges of fresh lemon.

Tips to clean mussels

A step that should not be skipped is to properly clean mussels. Most of the mussels that you find in the supermarket or at the fishmonger are generally clean and de-bearded, the fibrous threads near the side of the mussels.

However, on closer inspection, you’ll notice that the inside of the shells still contain some grit and sand, the outer shells can still have barnacles attached and you’ll notice some shells may still have their ‘beard’. If not cleaned, it will all end up in your delicious marinara sauce.

So follow these steps to give the mussels a good clean:

• Soak and Rinse: Place the mussels in a large bowl of cold water and give a gentle stir with your hands, which will release and loosen most of the sand from the shells. Drain the water and repeat this process a couple of times until the water runs clear.
• Inspect the shells: Discard any mussels with broken shells or those that float. If a shell is open, give it a tap and if they remain open, discard them as they are not fresh anymore.
• Scrub: You’ll notice some dirt and barnacles on the outer shell. Use a brush or butter knife to scrub these away.
• Remove beards: Detach any visible beards (fibrous threads) from the sides of the mussels. Just pull them out.
• Final rinse: Rinse a last time under cold running water to make sure all the grit is gone.

How to make mussels marinara

• Clean the mussels: Take the mussels out of the fridge to clean just before preparing this dish. Clean the mussels as described above, set aside and immediately start preparing the sauce.
• Gather the ingredients: Peel and finely dice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Core the tomatoes and finely chop. No need to peel the tomatoes for this mussel marinara recipe.
• Make the marinara sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large and deep sauté pan or braiser over medium heat. Sauté the onions for a few minutes until they start to soften and become fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and simmer for a few minutes. Keep stirring frequently.
• Deglaze with white wine: Turn the heat to medium-high and deglaze the sauce with white wine. Cook for 2 minutes so the alcohol can evaporate.
• Steam the mussels: Add the mussels and fresh basil leaves to the marinara sauce, cover with a lid and gently toss the pot. Steam the mussels for 4-5 minutes or until they are all fully opened. While steaming, toss the pot 2-3 times to allow equal cooking.
• Serve immediately: When all the mussels have opened remove the pot from the heat. Serve immediately either in the sauté pan or scoop in separate serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Serving suggestions

Steamed mussels marinara can be served as an appetizer or as a main course.

• Appetizer: Add the mussels with the tomato garlic sauce in a large serving bowl or serve directly in the pan with crusty bread, baguette or garlic bread to mop up the delicious marinara sauce.
• Main course: Serve the mussels in tomato sauce over pasta or rice. Or serve with a side salad, which can be a simple green salad with a honey mustard dressing, a shaved fennel salad, grilled bell pepper salad, or with sautéed Italian green beans.

More mussel recipes to try

If you enjoy eating mussels as much as I do, then I have more delicious mussel recipes for you to try:

• Creamy mussels in gorgonzola sauce
• Mussels mariniere
• Mussel vinaigrette bites
• Spanish mejillones a la vinagreta

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment with rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #thetastychilli and tag me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.