Mussel saganaki with red peppers (capsicum)

Brighten your table with fresh, vibrant flavours inspired by a Mediterranean taverna.

This is an edited extract from Opa! Recipes Inspired by Greek Tavernas by Helena Moursellas and Vikki Moursellas (Smith Street Books RRP$59.99)

Serves: 4

Time to make: 50 mins

Ingredients

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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 brown onion, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated puree)
80 ml (¹⁄³ cup) white wine
400g tinned cherry tomatoes
500g mussels, scrubbed well, beards removed
70g Greek feta
lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

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1 Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof saucepan over medium heat and fry the onion, red capsicum and garlic for 8–10 minutes, until softened. Add the oregano and tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until caramelised. Stir in the wine and allow the wine to reduce by half. Add the cherry tomatoes and ¹⁄³ cup water and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened.

2 Preheat the oven grill to 250°C.

3 Increase the stovetop heat to medium–high. Arrange the mussels in the pan over the sauce, then cover with a lid and cook, shaking the pan constantly, for 10–12 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that don’t open; these are not safe to eat.

4 Remove the lid from the saucepan. Crumble the feta over the mussels, then place the pan in the hot oven for 5–8 minutes, until the feta is lightly golden. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve with lemon wedges.

Serving suggestion

Serve with charred bread.

HFG tip

Feel free to use prawns (shrimp) instead of mussels here; simply cook them for 10–12 minutes.

The tomato-based sauce can be made the day before and reheated just before the mussels go in. The mussels need to be added fresh on the day of serving.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 330 cal

Kilojoules 1390 kJ

Protein 29 g

Total fat 15 g

Saturated fat 3.7 g

Carbohydrates 16 g

Sugar 10 g

Dietary fibre 4.8 g

Sodium 885 mg

Calcium 205 mg

Iron 19 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.