Mussel Stew with Fennel Gremolata

This mussel stew is great to serve for casual gatherings: everyone digs in and gets a little messy. Classic Neapolitan versions call for nothing more than mussels, tomatoes, oil, garlic and parsley, but here we add a splash of wine and colorful, zesty gremolata.

Mussel Stew with Fennel Gremolata

For the gremolata:

1/2 cup (3/4 oz./20 g) finely chopped fennel fronds

1/4 cup (1/3 oz./10 g) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange

1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 oz./875 g) diced tomatoes

1 small fresh hot chile, minced, or a generous pinch of red pepper flakes

3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) dry white wine

4 lb. (2 kg) mussels, scrubbed and debearded, if needed

4 slices toasted country bread

To make the gremolata, in a bowl, stir together the fennel fronds, parsley, garlic and lemon and orange zests. Set aside.

In a large, wide saucepan big enough to hold the mussels over medium-low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and chile and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, just enough to allow the flavors to blend. Pour in the wine, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Slide in the mussels, discarding any that do not close to the touch, and cover the pan. Cook at a lively simmer until the mussels have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any mussels that fail to open.

Place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each of 4 shallow bowls. Ladle the stew over the bread. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each serving, sprinkle with the gremolata and serve. Serves 4.

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Find more recipes like this one in our enticing collection of authentic dishes made modern, Rustic Italian, by Domenica Marchetti.