The Duck’s Digest
'Nduja Mussels
Steamed Mussels with a Calabrian 'Nduja Heat
If you like seafood with a delicious heat, this 'Nduja Mussels recipe is the ticket to a quick-cooking, warm hearty dinner meal.
'Nduja—pronounced “en-DOO-ya,” comes from Calabria in Southern Italy. It’s made with fatty ground pork, ground Calabrian chilies, and salt. It’s fermented in warm, climate-controlled chambers for 12 to 36 hours, then moved to a chamber with a cooler temperature, and aged for longer. 'Nduja lends a buttery texture, always spreadable and packs a great flavor—salty, spicy-sweet, subtly funky, and very yummy.
The high fat percentage of 'Nduja allows it to perfectly blend with the aromatics, the white wine, and the mussel juice, lending the broth a distinct heat from the Calabrian chilies and meaty richness from the pork in this dish.
From The Duck’s Digest kitchen
'Nduja Mussels
Sweet, steamed mussels paired with the spiciness of Calabrian 'Nduja
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 20 min
Ingredients
- 15 mlExtra Virgin Olive Oil (optional, chili-infused)
- 85 gShallots (or Onions), thinly sliced
- 2Garlic cloves
- Kosher salt (as needed)
- 60 gVillani or Sila & Sila Fratelli 'Nduja
- 240 mlDry White Wine
- 1 kgFresh Mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
- 15 gFresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 tbspLemon Juice
- 1 tspLemon Zest, finely grated
- 1Sourdough Bread Loaf, for serving
Method
- 1
Heat some oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
- 2
Add in sliced shallots/onions and minced garlic, season with salt, and cook (stirring regularly) for about 5 to 7 minutes.
- 3
Add in your 'Nduja and use a wooden spoon to break it up into pieces.
- 4
Stir vigorously, making sure to combine it with the shallots/onions and garlic. Cook all are stained red and fully coated.
- 5
Add in dry white wine, and increase the heat. Bring to a boil.
- 6
Add in the mussels, and cover. Let cook, shaking the pan frequently, and stirring every 30 seconds or so. Cook only until mussels open.
- 7
Once done, remove from heat, and transfer the mussels into a heatproof serving bowl.
- 8
Add chopped parsley and lemon juice, and toss to combine.
- 9
Serve with a slice of a thickly sliced Sourdough bread, drizzled with olive oil, and broiled until heavily toasted.