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Cold Mussel Escabeche with Vinegar and Pimentón

This tapa is one of those dishes that you’ll find in most bars in Spain, made with canned mussels. But don’t fool yourself. Sometimes those cans are very expensive, filled with the highest-quality mussels that have been perfectly cooked. You can re-create this very popular tapa right at home, without opening an expensive Spanish can. Simply scald fresh mussels for a mere few seconds and cook them just enough to be edible but not so much that they become chewy. This technique can be used for any bivalves. Adapted from a recipe by José Andrés. From Spain and The World Table, The Culinary Institute of America. Serves 8

2 pounds (900 g) mussels, thoroughly cleaned and debearded
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon Spanish hot paprika (pimentón)
½ cup sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 rosemary sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon salt

1. Bring 1½ quarts (1½ liters) of water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Place 10 mussels in a sieve and immerse them in the boiling water for 5 seconds, or just until the mussel shells open. Transfer the mussels from the sieve to a colander and place the colander over a medium bowl to catch any juices from the mussels. Repeat until you have cooked all of the mussels.

2. Open the mussels and remove them from the shells. Transfer them to a medium nonreactive bowl, being careful to keep them whole. Reserve under refrigeration. Strain the liquid in the bowl through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan (there should be roughly 1 cup of the mussel liquid). Bring the
liquid to a boil over medium heat, and reduce to about ¼ cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.

3. Heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Split open the garlic cloves by placing them on a chopping board and pressing down hard with the base of your hand or with the flat side of a knife. Slice off the tough root end of each clove and discard the skins. Add the split garlic to the oil and brown it on all sides, about 2 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the reduced mussel water, orange zest, pimentón, vinegar, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Allow the escabeche to cool to room temperature, then pour it over the mussels. This dish usually tastes even better the day after you cook it. To serve individual portions, place approximately 8 mussels on each small plate, then stir the oil-vinegar mixture just before spooning it over the mussels. Garnish with marinated herbs and garlic cloves. Alternatively, place the mussels back in their shells and spoon the oil-vinegar mixture over them.