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‘Nduja steamed mussels

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‘Nduja brings a rich meatiness to this mussel dish by Manteca’s Chris Leach. The mussels are steamed in white wine, finished off with cream, parsley and lemon and served with lightly toasted focaccia. The Calabrian chilli in the ‘nduja brilliantly complement the sweet brininess of mussels.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

  • 1kg live mussels, washed and debearded
  • 50g of 'nduja
  • 100ml of dry white wine
  • 100ml of double cream
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 20g of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 4 slices of focaccia, ideally thick and stale, toasted lightly in the oven until dried out

Method

1

Check the mussels and discard any with broken shells or that don't close when firmly tapped

2

Place the ‘nduja in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid on a medium heat and let it slowly melt and render

3

Turn up the heat and stir the mussels into the ‘nduja. Add the white wine, cover and cook for around 2 minutes, giving the pan an occasional shake to help agitate the mussels. They’re ready when they’re all open

  • 100ml of dry white wine
4

Once the mussels are cooked, remove the lid. Discard any mussels which still remain closed, stir the double cream through the sauce for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice and add the parsley

5

Make sure the sauce tastes good to you, adding a little salt or more lemon if necessary

6

To serve, put a piece of toast in the base of each bowl. Spoon the mussels evenly over the top, pour over the sauce and serve. The toast will absorb the sauce to create a little treat after the mussels are eaten

  • 4 slices of focaccia, ideally thick and stale, toasted lightly in the oven until dried out
First published in 2026

At his Shoreditch restaurant Manteca, Chris Leach combines a love for nose-to-tail cookery with the beautiful simplicity of Italian cuisine – with delicious and eternally crowd-pleasing results.

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