Mussels al Sambuca – Cozze al Sambuca

Attention Mussels lovers, this Mussels al Sambuca recipe is out of this world! If you love mussels, you will be thrilled to add this recipe to your rotation. There is a wonderful French restaurant in my home town that makes a similar version of the dish using Pernod. I always loved that dish, but I would have to say the combination of flavors in the recipe brings the dish to a new level.

I first tried Mussels al Sambuca (Cozze al Sambuca in Italian) while attending cooking school in Tuscany with Chef Paolo Monti. I had been searching to find the perfect mussels recipe and when I smelled the aroma coming out of the pot I knew it would be love at first bite. Mussels are a wonderful meal by  themselves or they can be served as an appetizer.  This dish is simple to make and the taste is sublime. Serve with with some warm or toasted bread and a bottle of chilled white wine, preferably on the dry side.

Here you can see the julienne carrot and the celery.

I hope you enjoy preparing this Mussels al Sambuca recipe, and that you get as many compliments from your guests as I do. Buon appetito!

Print Recipe

Mussels al Sambuca

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Appetizer

Author: My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of mussels scrubbed, debarred, and washed
• 4 TBSP extra virgen olive oil
• one pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 1 TBSP of julienned carrot
• 1 TBSP of julienned celery
• 1/2 glass of dry white wine
• 4 TBSP of whipping heavy cream
• 1/4 cup Sambuca Italian liquor
• 3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Place the mussels inside a large bowl with water, wash and scrape them and then remove the beard from each mussel with your fingers or a small knife.
• In a large stock pot, add 3 TBSP of olive oil and add the red pepper flakes and the garlic and saute on low fire for a few seconds. Add the carrot and the celery and stir and saute for another 20 seconds. Add the mussels and bring to boil over high heat. Cover the pot and cook until the mussels open, about 4 minutes. Uncover the pot, add the wine and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add the cream and cook for another minute.
• Add the Sambuca and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add some salt and pepper to taste.
• Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the sauce.
• Sprinkle the chopped parsley over it and serve.