The great summer weather we’ve been having has made me crave shellfish, but Austin is allergic most kinds. What to do? He’s not allergic to bivalves, and they’re cheap and delicious.
I’ve been buying these frozen Private Selection mussels forever. They were a cheap way to eat fancy when I had no money, and they still make me feel fancy. They made this dish super easy to make, because they’re already cooked and garlicky good.
The Recipe 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp chili flake
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp basil, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, plus tops (1/3 cup chopped for garnish)
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 strips thick cut bacon (3 if thinner)
1 10oz can of baby clams in clam juice
1/4 cup water
1 package of dried spaghetti or linguini
Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.
Get water boiling in a large pot so it will be ready for the pasta later.
Add the sliced fennel and onion to the pan with the bacon fat on medium low heat. Season with half the salt and sauté until translucent (and a little brown from the bacon fat).
Turn up the heat to medium high. Add the liquid from the canned clams (not the clams yet), the water, and the frozen mussels to the pan.
Put the pasta in the boiling water and cook according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, the mussels should be thawing and heating through. When all the frozen sauce is melted and the pasta has about 4 minutes left to cook, add the clams to the pan.
When the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan and stir so it’s coated with the sauce. If your pan is getting crowded, you could also drain the water from your pasta pot and mix everything in the larger pot.
Add the chopped basil, fennel tops, green onions, pepper, and chili flake. Chop the bacon and stir in.
Serve in bowls and top with anchovy breadcrumbs!
For anchovy breadcrumbs:
1/4 panko breadcrumbs
2 anchovy fillets, chopped finely
2 tbsp salted butter
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and toast until dark, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Notes & Substitutions
If you don’t have a nearby Kroger affiliate, you could sub another can of clams and add 2-3 cloves of sliced garlic to the fennel and onion. Also sub white wine for the water.
Feel free to leave out the bacon. Just add a tbsp of olive oil to the pan to sauté the veg in and a little extra salt. The finished dish doesn’t have a super bacon-y flavor, but it did add richness.
You can sub any other “soft herbs” for the ones we used. But stay away from rosemary.
You can skip the breadcrumbs if you think you don’t want anchovies in it (but really you do). You could also make garlic breadcrumbs instead by subbing 1 clove of crushed garlic for the anchovies.
Not to brag, but this is probably the best thing we’ve made in quarantine. Maybe ever? I probably think this every time we make something new and delicious, but this tasted upscale.
The fennel makes it really special. Like, French special. Traditional bouillabaisse has Pernod in it, so this is another way of incorporating that licorice/anise flavor into a seafood dish. Put on your at-home finest when you serve this one.
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