Mussels with Tomato and Chorizo Broth

I’m a seafood girl.  Bring on the shellfish.  All the shellfish.  Raw oysters are my jam.  Clams are delish.  And I love mussels, especially in a great broth.

I’ve been wanting to do a mini photo shoot with my new Finex Dutch oven.  And while I grazing over all sorts of Dutch oven recipes I kept coming back to Mussels.  A few reasons, really.  One- if you’ve spent any time reading my blog you’ll already know that my expertise is not cooking or baking, it’s food photography.  So when I do my own dishes- I usually go for something that’s “easier.”  Baking bread in a Dutch oven would have been unique. (Yes, I am aware that there are a lot of mussels in Dutch oven photos.) But in all honesty, I probably would have failed and would not have had anything to photograph.  Second reason- I have a TON of cherry tomatoes right now.  And third- reread the first paragraph. 😉

I did not create this recipe, the lovely folks over at Bon Appetit did.  They never disappoint.  I also did not hand make the beautiful Dutch oven. (haha, that was a joke.) But the wonderful folks at Finex did.  And they also do not disappoint.  If you are into cast irons- they have one for you.  They’re gorgeous and they are local and you need to check this fine(x) company out.  I served the mussels with some crusty bread from Grand Central Bakery and a Viognier wine from Hawkins Cellars.  Now for the recipe and some photos!  I hope you enjoy.

Steamed Mussels with Tomato and Chorizo Broth

• 2 ounces dried Spanish chorizo, casing removed, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or parsley