Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Steamed Mussels with Piri Piri Sauce
Piri piri sauce brings a sharp, fresh flavor to a bowl of steamed mussels. Chopped herbs settle around the shells with garlic and a little peppery heat.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 6 min
- Total
- 26 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Appetizers · Appetizers & snacks · Dinner
- Primary protein
- Seafood
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Steaming
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Mix sauce before steaming
Combine the sauce ingredients first and let them sit while you clean and steam the mussels.
2. Scrub under cold water
Rinse and scrub mussels under cold running water to remove sand and dirt from the shells.
3. Cover for steaming
Bring the wine and water to a boil before adding mussels, then cover while they steam open.
Get to know the ingredients
Mussels
Use fresh live mussels, discarding cracked shells and pulling out the beards before steaming.
Jalapeno
Seed and mince the jalapeno so its small pieces distribute through the chopped piri piri sauce.
Parsley
Finely chop parsley before mixing it with onion, garlic and the liquid ingredients for the sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Steamed Mussels with Piri Piri Sauce
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Piri piri over shells
Carefully drain the steaming liquid, divide the mussels into bowls and top each portion with the prepared sauce.
A little more help as you go
Clean outside shells
Brush away barnacles and remaining dirt after the first cold-water scrub before the mussels enter the pot.
Separate water portions
Keep the small sauce water portion separate from the larger steaming water portion as you prepare.
A few questions you might have
Does the sauce simmer with the mussels?
No, mix it separately and spoon it over the steamed mussels after dividing them into bowls.
How do I remove the beards?
Use your fingers to firmly pull the hairy filaments from each mussel before steaming.
Can broth replace the white wine?
Yes, broth is the specified alternative to white wine for the mussel steaming liquid.
When are the mussels ready to divide?
Steam covered until their shells open, then carefully drain the liquid before arranging the bowls.
How can I vary the peppery heat?
Use the given crushed red pepper range according to preference when mixing the piri piri sauce.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: skinnytaste.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.