You’ll need:
Tomato sauce
2 glasses of a decent dry white wine
16 to 25 fresh black or white mussels (depending
on the size)
Fresh basil leaves, roughly ripped
Put the mussels in a pot, discarding any that are already open. Pour one glass of wine into the pot, put the lid on and steam for about five minutes or
until the mussels open. Drink the other glass of wine. Remove from the heat and take the mussels out of their shells, discarding any that don’t open – they’re probably dead and unsafe to eat. Pull off the beards (the fibrous strings that connect the mussel to rocks). Place the mussels into a bowl, cover in tomato sauce, give a good but gentle stir, pour over pasta and eat with freshly ground black pepper. I don’t put parmesan on seafood pasta but use as much basil as you like.
For more recipes and outdoor cooking ideas, read Justin Bonello’s Cooked in Africa: A cooking journey through Southern Africa.
