Portuguese Style Spicy Mussels are one of my favorite seafood dishes! Flavor packed mussels in a spicy garlic tomato sauce. This is my mom's classic recipe!
Portuguese Style Mussels Recipe
These steamed, saucy mussels with chourico sausage in a rich garlic-tomato-wine broth are divine. Even better when you have a big chunk of warm crusty bread to mop up the sauce!
The sweetness of mussels, with the smoky, spicy, saltiness of chourico makes them work beautifully together in this flavor packed Portuguese inspired entrée or appetizer.
This is another one of my mom’s recipe that has been handed down to me after years of many recipe variations until she reached this recipe.
If you have never had mussels, I think you will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy them! They are not fishy or slimy, but fluffy and tender, with a slight taste of the sea.
What is in Portuguese Style Spicy Mussels?
- The star of this dish is the mussels that are paired perfectly with a spicy garlic infused tomato sauce. Portuguese chourico is a spicy smoked pork sausage. It can be found in most grocery stores and specialty grocery stores. The tomato sauce is seasoned with paprika, smoked paprika, salt and chili powder.
How to Make Portuguese Style Spicy Mussels
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page
1 Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and pull out the hairy beards. Rinse and drain
2 In a large pot add enough water to fill approximately 3 inches. Add the sliced lemon and mussels. Bring to boil. Steam until the shells have opened. Approximately 2-3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
3 While the mussels are steaming, add oil to a large frying pan. Sautee diced chourico until starting to brown. Add in the onions, garlic, chili flakes, smoked paprika, paprika, and pinch of salt. Continue to sauté until the onions are cooked.
4 Deglaze the pan by adding in wine. Use the spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
5 Add diced tomatoes, heavy cream and parsley. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
6 Strain the mussels and discard the lemon slices. Add the mussels to the tomato sauce and toss to combine.
7 Sprinkle with more fresh parsley and serve with warm crusty bread. Enjoy!
Portuguese Dessert Pairings
Pair your mussels with one of my favorite classic Portuguese desserts:
- Queijadas de Leite - a creamy custard baked until golden brown and crispy. These are a must try!
- Chocolate Salami - this unique dessert is a fudge like treat but shaped to look like salami! How cute and fun.
- Rice Pudding - growing up my Avo (Grandma) made the BEST rice pudding. I am so proud to say she loves my recipe too!
Enjoy!
- Sab
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Portuguese Style Mussels in Spicy Chourico Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 lb mussels
- ½ lemon (sliced)
- 1 lb Portuguese Spicy Chourico (diced into small cubes)
- 2.5 cups diced canned tomatoes
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 6 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 cups white wine
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- salt (to taste)
- oil (for cooking)
Instructions
- Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and pull out the hairy beards. Rinse and drain
- In a large pot add enough water to fill approximately 3 inches. Add the sliced lemon and mussels. Bring to boil. Steam until the shells have opened. Approximately 2-3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
- While the mussels are steaming, add oil to a large frying pan. Sautee diced chourico until starting to brown. Add in the onions, garlic, chili flakes, smoked paprika, paprika, and pinch of salt. Continue to saute until the onions are cooked.
- Deglaze the pan by adding in wine. Use the spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add diced tomatoes, heavy cream and parsley. Stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
- Strain the mussels and discard the lemon slices. Add the mussels to the tomato sauce and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle with more fresh parsley and serve with warm crusty bread.
- Enjoy!
Sue says
Thanks for the recipe! This is the only way I make them now 🙂