I needed a couple of beers last night following the near overdose of millet, coconut milk and sugar of recent posts. And what better appetizer to have with it than baked mussels with pancetta, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. I have featured a similar recipe before but this one differs slightly with the addition of some smoked pancetta that I had in the deep freeze. To make, take fresh or flash frozen mussels, I used green lipped ones from New Zealand and lay them out on the half shell on a baking pan…
Next in a small saucepan, fry up some chopped pancetta or if you don’t have that, 
some bacon (ideally, not the very sweet variety) in some olive oil. Add some onions or garlic if you so desire. Next, take it off the heat, add some good breadcrumbs, lots of grated parmesan cheese, salt (if necessary) and cracked black pepper. Some chopped Italian parsley would go well with this as well. Then add some olive oil to bind the mixture further and take a heaping spoonfull and place it firmly on top of each mussel, packing it down with the spoon. Bake in a hot oven for say 15 or so minutes until the mussels are cooked and the breading is a golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges. Absolutely delicious. If you want a diet version, just bake the mussels with grated cheese, parsley and black pepper. Serve with lemon. Yum. That definitely cures the sometimes cloying taste of coconut milk from the palate…
21 Responses
I love baked mussels! Hardly get the real fresh ones in London unless I go to Billingsgate Market early hours in the morning. Will try your recipe sometime. Nice photos MM.
yummm looks so sarrap, gotta have this, i am going to get some frozen new zealand mussels too and do this tonight, pronto.
My monitor shows the green lips as tourqoise lines that the golden crumbs and lemon wedges only serve to play up. This would go very well too with even a bottle of cheap ordinary white. Now with my pint, I’d insist on an alspicy congealed porkpie or even a steak and kidney pie, gout not interfering.
Off topic. First day of fall here today but the weather has already been cold as soon as we stepped into September. Early frost means early apple picking.
Pretty picture! Looks so sarap. I specially like the blue-green lip of the mussels, it’s a beautiful color.
I love mussels but your way of preparing them is a lot fancier, class ika nga. I just put a dab of oyster sauce, tabasco and lemon and then put them on the grill. Less than five minutes, done. Do these mussels contain cholesterol and how much compare to other seafood?
I loved baked mussels! I’m sure they taste delightful!! :) Nice pic Market Man!
MM, Where do you buy NZ mussels?
Elna if you have access to fresh coldwater mussels they are really good, I find that their meat tastes different from tropical water mussels… Apicio, turquoise is an apt description…Maricel, I only now realized how striking the color on the “lip” was… Naz, I love the sound of your recipe…will do that when I have fresh mussels…Didi, I ate too many. Corrrine et al, someone is bringing in boxes of frozen green lipped New Zealand mussels, you can get them from the frozen seafood vendors at the FTI Taguig market, Salcedo Market and I suppose other higher end markets. Cold storage stores should also have a suitable alternative. I, like many readers, am often worried about the provenance of the mussels for safety reasons…
MM. mussels?? If my memory serves me right…you seldom purchase such kasi baka galing Manila Bay!! hehehe… Where do you buy NZ mussels?
ooppss, I didnt see your answer awhile ago..My query was answered na pala..Thanks!
MM, i thought you were dieting? :p
Juls, I know, sama no? But this past week I worked out twice, played tennis twice, brisk walked twice and I was feeling invincible…heehee.
Those look yummy, MM. Another easy preparation I make with those New Zealand mussels is just plainly melting butter, add lemon juice, pour this over the mussels so essentially the shell becomes the cooking vessel, salt and pepper, place in the oven and add the cheese at the end of cooking, let stay in the oven enough to melt the cheese. Love how tender the meat comes out.
They are also good sauteed in onions, tomatoes, a bit of patis and lemongrass with a bit of water or just sauteed in oyster sauce. The meat comes out juicy each time.
MM, I hate to be the wet rag but be careful on those beers, they do have some amount of carbohydrates and calories in them afterall. Hehehehe.
MM, I agree with with them all, the pictures are so pretty! Yum yum! Baked mussels: our favorite at Le Meridien Hotel’s seafood night, though their version have no pancetta but super delicious just with cheese and breadcrumbs. I’ll try your version. Thanks!
MM did you get these mussels opened already? (meaning the shell) Did you boil them? My friend said he boils them in beer or sprite. what do you suggest?
i love mussels! sarap pulutan!….
yummy.. i make mine with garlic, cheese, onions and lots of butter(oops! cholesterol!!), salt and pepper and if there’s wansoy available.. yummy!! perfect match for an ice cold beer talaga MM!!!
Loved mussels, baked it and I liked it more of sauteing with lots of ginger, onions, garlic, black pepper.
That looks really good, reminds me of Mingoy’s. I’ll use this same topping for the portobello mushrooms I’m preparing tonight. Thanks, MM
this looks perfect. although i would think you have to be careful with the amount of pancetta and cheese to use as you’d end up tasting those and not the mussel. i would wolf this down with ice-cold-brain-freeze-inducing beer
i use NZ mussels here as well, and i love that they come in big sizes! i’ll try your version next time, MM, mine would be garlic sautéed on butter, applied to each half opened mussel, sprinkled with black pepper, and before it’s fully baked, thin slices of fresh basilicum for topping. goes so well with a light white. ;) and cold beer, of course!