Portland Food Photographer- Mussels

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

Heat chorizo and 2 Tbsp. oil in your Finex Dutch oven, stirring occasionally, until chorizo begins to brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and wine and bring to a simmer; season with pepper. Cook until reduced by three-quarters, 6–8 minutes. Add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels open, 6–8 minutes. Discard any mussels that don’t open. Serve mussels topped with tarragon.