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OT-One of the BEST Italian dishes I have EVER cooked!

Cooked this entirely in my kitchen, no egg needed. Plus, it's 27° out there! I've never cooked Italian with fresh littlenecks and mussels before. Holy crap!! Sure won't be the last time!!! This pic is from the recipe website. Mine looked identical except my littlenecks were larger. You HAVE to try this!! Next time, I may add some shrimp or salmon. Sure was great as written though!!

https://sundayatthegiacomettis.blogspot.com/2012/04/spaghetti-al-sugo-di-vongole-e-cozze.html

I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Michael 
Central Connecticut 

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Comments

  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,653
    That looks amazing !!
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    What the hell! I'm selling my Eggs. 
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Nice, Q. I make a similar recipe for my red clam sauce.

    One reason to cook it on the Egg is so your kitchen won't have that lovely fishy smell tomorrow.  After all, 27 degrees is just a lil bit chilly to you!


    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • That looks outstanding!
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    So what's the deal with mussels?  I love them, but it's hard to go through an order without getting some bad ones.

    Is it the freshness of the mussel or just the nature of the shellfish?  I don't have this problem with clams or oysters.

    I should say, it seems that in some restaurants, I can eat a pile of them without a single bad one. I had them in an Italian restaurant last week and I had to spit 1/3 of them out.  Awful taste.

    Any way to avoid that when you are cleaning that at home?  I usually throw out any that are open, so maybe the restaurants aren't doing that.  That said, some of them are open (almost dead, but not) and when you tap on them they were very slowly close.  Very slowly.  Are those ones good to eat?

    Sorry for the tangent.  Recipe looks great!
    LBGE/Maryland
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    @KiterTodd, I hope you're not asking me that question. I bought 5 littlenecks and 5 mussels for this recipe. Absolutely THE first time I've ever bought either. Oh, I've eaten them, just never bought or cooked them myself before this.

    I will say this though... all shells were closed when  bought them and all opened wide when I cooked them. Frankly, I really didn't notice any difference between the taste of the clams and the mussels. The clams cost a lot more because the shells are much heavier even though the meat is about the same size.

    So, since this cook was so good, I decided to do it again the next day. =) Went back to the same store (just my normal Stop & Shop about a mile from my house) except this time, I bought a dozen mussels and no clams (cost $1.01!)

    All opened wide, meal was delicious and appearance was gorgeous! Hard to believe I'm this old and have never cooked clams or mussels before. Won't be the last time though!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • TideEggHead
    TideEggHead Posts: 1,338
    Looks amazing!
    LBGE
    AL
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    For those of you who haven't looked at the recipe site I linked, here's their (better) pic of the finished dish... the one I meant to link in the first place.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 10,708
    Awesome!!
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
  • Wow.... looks awesome... 
    Charlotte, NC - Large BGE 2014, Maverick ET 733, Thermopen, Nest, Platesetter, Woo2 and Extender w/Grid, Kick Ash Basket, Pizza Stone, SS Smokeware Cap, Blackstone 36"
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    For those of you who haven't looked at the recipe site I linked, here's their (better) pic of the finished dish... the one I meant to link in the first place.
    Q I had me some mussels in a red sauce today for lunch and thought about this post. Gonna try this one day....bookmarked. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    @KiterTodd, I hope you're not asking me that question. I bought 5 littlenecks and 5 mussels for this recipe. Absolutely THE first time I've ever bought either. Oh, I've eaten them, just never bought or cooked them myself before this.

    I will say this though... all shells were closed when  bought them and all opened wide when I cooked them. Frankly, I really didn't notice any difference between the taste of the clams and the mussels. The clams cost a lot more because the shells are much heavier even though the meat is about the same size....
    That's interesting.  I only see mussels sold around here by the sack.  Clams by count or sack. Neither by weight.

    Glad it turned out good enough to repeat!  If you have a line on good mussels, that's great.  One of my favorite meals is to heat up a pot of home made sauce, then dump in an entire (cleaned) sack of oysters and cover it until they are open.  Serve over a huge pile of linquini or just eat from the pot with a hunk of good bread.  :plus_one:

    LBGE/Maryland
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited November 2017
    @KiterTodd, Ha, I know nothing about buying these. I walked in to my usual grocery store, told her I wanted 5 mussels and 5 littlenecks. She didn't bat an eye, but turned around and walked away. It seems all they had on display was the mesh bag of mussels. She had to go to the back to get loose ones. No prob though.

    Love your idea of a whole bag in a pot of sauce!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    @KiterTodd, Ha, I know nothing about buying these. I walked in to my usual grocery store, told her I wanted 5 mussels and 5 littlenecks. She didn't bat an eye, but turned around and walked away. It seems all they had on display was the mesh bag of mussels. She had to go to the back to get loose ones. No prob though.

    Love your idea of a whole bag in a pot of sauce!
    5 mussels doesn’t go very far. I eat a bag at a sitting as a appetizer. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Ah, but I ate 10. Day 1, I had 5 mussels and 5 clams. Day 2, 10 mussels. And 1/4 pound of spaghetti. And the tomatoes. And a piece of homemade garlic bread. And a glass of wine. Plenty for me. =)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Help me out here. These shellfish pasta dishes look amazing, but I never order them.

    So...

    Is there a trick to eating it without getting your fingers all in your food?
    Gittin' there...
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    Help me out here. These shellfish pasta dishes look amazing, but I never order them.

    So...

    Is there a trick to eating it without getting your fingers all in your food?
    No. Part of the goodness is licking your fingers and soppin up the sauce with some good bread, ;)
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Help me out here. These shellfish pasta dishes look amazing, but I never order them.

    So...

    Is there a trick to eating it without getting your fingers all in your food?
    No. Part of the goodness is licking your fingers and soppin up the sauce with some good bread, ;)
    ^^^^ This. As far as I can tell.

    I thought you were "fearless". :rofl: 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • lol!

    Okay, Okay, but it definitely wont happen on date night!
    Gittin' there...
  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,053
    Thank you for sharing.  Saved the recipe and will definitely make this!
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited November 2017
    lol!

    Okay, Okay, but it definitely wont happen on date night!
    @FearlessTheEggNoob, Are you crazy? ESPECIALLY on date night! Didn't you ever see Tom Jones and Mrs. Waters?!  :rofl:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezjznL9NzM

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    KiterTodd said:
    So what's the deal with mussels?  I love them, but it's hard to go through an order without getting some bad ones.

    Is it the freshness of the mussel or just the nature of the shellfish?  I don't have this problem with clams or oysters.

    I should say, it seems that in some restaurants, I can eat a pile of them without a single bad one. I had them in an Italian restaurant last week and I had to spit 1/3 of them out.  Awful taste.
    This surprises me; I don't think I've ever had a bad mussel (granted, I don't eat them weekly) but I order them fairly often when I'm eating out.  
    I do experience a pretty high reject rate in pistachios.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    edited November 2017

    Help me out here. These shellfish pasta dishes look amazing, but I never order them.

    So...

    Is there a trick to eating it without getting your fingers all in your food?
    Agree with @Carolina Q , there are times to get a bit messy whilst eating!
     
    One trick is to set the first mussel shell at the side of your plate, then use it as a "pincher" to grab the meat out of the subsequent mussels.  
    EDIT:  And I think I need to buy that movie; there's a spot on my shelf for it, right next to Like Water for Chocolate!  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    Botch said:
    This surprises me; I don't think I've ever had a bad mussel (granted, I don't eat them weekly) but I order them fairly often when I'm eating out.  
    I do experience a pretty high reject rate in pistachios.  
    You are blessed!  I notice it enough, that it's the exception when I get a plate where they are all good.  Even those fancy pants green lipped mussels that became all the rage 10 years ago... most of them, not so fresh.  But when mussels are good, yum.  I can easily go through a bag.

    With regards to the mess, heck, I use the biggest shell as a spoon to dine on the sauce like soup!  Most of the times, it's that good.   I go into it knowing it's going to be a finger food, like buffalo wings.  I mean, you can eat a piece of fried chicken with a knife and fork, but why would you?  =)
    LBGE/Maryland
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    i love that meal.  sub the salt out with a little chopped up gaspars chourico and tossed on crusty bread is a go to recipe here, more a portuguese version. my cataplana pot pics are lost on pbucket somewhere. i would skip the little necks in this dish as well, no need for them here
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Always check the tag on the bag of the mussels to check date, and where they are from. Maybe the reason some are bad tasting is where they come from. For instance, Prince Edward Island mussels are great.

    I do what Ina says, and soak clams or mussels in water and flour for 30 minutes so they spit out sand and dirt. I rarely have them not open, maybe only 1-2 per bag.
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    i love that meal.  sub the salt out with a little chopped up gaspars chourico and tossed on crusty bread is a go to recipe here, more a portuguese version. my cataplana pot pics are lost on pbucket somewhere. i would skip the little necks in this dish as well, no need for them here
    @fishlessman, I didn't have any homemade crusty bread so I made garlic toast with ALDI sourdough. =) Excellent!

    You can still see your cataplana pics in Google. Search for cataplana egghead. I think these are your pics??


    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665
    i love that meal.  sub the salt out with a little chopped up gaspars chourico and tossed on crusty bread is a go to recipe here, more a portuguese version. my cataplana pot pics are lost on pbucket somewhere. i would skip the little necks in this dish as well, no need for them here
    @fishlessman, I didn't have any homemade crusty bread so I made garlic toast with ALDI sourdough. =) Excellent!

    You can still see your cataplana pics in Google. Search for cataplana egghead. I think these are your pics??


    theres the problem transfering the google pics, the image gets destroyed. pbucket did something to my account, its a pain just to find them as the site slows way down now and jams up, i can get the pics out but they made it extremely monotonous to look for them. its easier to get a new camera and start over
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831

    Always check the tag on the bag of the mussels to check date, and where they are from. Maybe the reason some are bad tasting is where they come from. For instance, Prince Edward Island mussels are great.

    I do what Ina says, and soak clams or mussels in water and flour for 30 minutes so they spit out sand and dirt. I rarely have them not open, maybe only 1-2 per bag.
    Thanks, Faith. Mine were labeled "PEI Farm Raised". Oh well. Didn't know about Ina's soaking thing. Didn't notice any sand or grit, but maybe I'll do that next time. I obviously didn't buy many, but they all opened.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,665

    Always check the tag on the bag of the mussels to check date, and where they are from. Maybe the reason some are bad tasting is where they come from. For instance, Prince Edward Island mussels are great.

    I do what Ina says, and soak clams or mussels in water and flour for 30 minutes so they spit out sand and dirt. I rarely have them not open, maybe only 1-2 per bag.
    Thanks, Faith. Mine were labeled "PEI Farm Raised". Oh well. Didn't know about Ina's soaking thing. Didn't notice any sand or grit, but maybe I'll do that next time. I obviously didn't buy many, but they all opened.
    its more important with clams, mussels grow hanging on rocks, docks etc where clams dig into the sand
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it