Sardinia – Mussels from Olbia
Admittedly, Italian menus offer dishes that may seem strange to newcomers and are anything but appetising. Trippa alla Romana, a Roman speciality also available in Sardinia, is one such dish. Isn't that a venereal disease? Or Cozze di Olbia? Do you really want that on your plate?
Slow down! Different countries, different customs, and nothing tastes the same! But before you leave the restaurant in horror, you should give free rein to your curiosity. Then your disgust will turn to delight!
As an Englishman, my friend Rodger is not affected by this Babylonian confusion of languages. For him, ‘Cozze di Olbia’ are simply what they are: shellfish! And, as he asserts as a well-travelled gourmet, they are the best mussels he has ever had anywhere.
In fact, Olbia's shellfish are sold worldwide (!) to gourmet temples, and that says everything about the quality of ‘Cozze di Olbia’!
Our holiday home guests are fortunate to be able to order them in numerous restaurants in the region or buy them directly from the producer. This means that our guests not only have the freshness factor on their side, but can also relax their ‘green’ environmental conscience: enjoyment without remorse, because the product comes from the region, only short transport routes are required and the so-called ecological balance is right.
Our favourite restaurant, the ‘Tavernetta’ in Budoni, offers mussels in various variations.
Because the basic recipe is simple, you can easily prepare them yourself. We recommend starting with the mussel fishermen's recipe:
Rinse 1 kg of Cozze di Olbia briefly under running water. Only discard mussels that open when pressed with your thumb! Barnacles and similar organisms on the shell do not need to be removed. Avoid washing them too thoroughly, as the mussels will lose some of their flavour along with the seawater they have stored.
Pour enough olive oil into a wide pan to cover the bottom well. Heat. Add the mussels and cook just until they open. This should take no longer than 5 minutes. If you overcook them, the mussel meat will shrink and become tough. Turn frequently during cooking!
Garnish the mussels with quartered lemons and serve immediately with Italian white bread. Contrary to what is taught in many places, Rodger and I do not sort out the mussels that are still closed when serving. If you have been careful when cleaning them and have removed the really bad, ‘inactive’ mussels, these are the best of the good ones. They simply have not succumbed to the heat during the short cooking time and have therefore remained closed.
If you prefer a more refined flavour, add garlic to the olive oil, sauté half a handful of flat-leaf parsley and add the second half of the parsley at the end of the cooking time. If you like spicy food, season with pepper. Finally, always season with lemon juice or add quartered limes to the mussels. Instead of pepper, you can of course also use chilli peppers. Add these to the pan together with the oil.
A third variation of this recipe uses tomatoes and white wine. This also tastes very good, but there is a risk that the tomato will mask the mussel flavour. Therefore, use tomatoes with caution!
A Sardinian Vermentino is the perfect alcoholic accompaniment to any mussel recipe!
Mussels can be prepared in many delicious ways. There are virtually no limits to your imagination. Just make sure you always preserve the mussels' natural flavour and don't commit the cardinal sin of overcooking them. This spoils the taste and makes every mussel look miserable!
With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.
Joachim Waßmann
PS: If you prefer another typical Sardinian dish to mussels, you should try ‘lasagne with bread’....more on that here.