Pasta salad with pickled mussels, a recipe for making the most of it.

Total: 23 min Diners: 4

Salads are that drawer where everything we have in the fridge has a place. Everyone knows that they are a fantastic option when you want to recover the line lost with family feasts and, although it is not the proper thing to do, they are perfectly valid for winter or any other time of year other than summer.

We all love it, but we can not live only based on fabadas, stews, tripe and stews when it’s cold. Salads are the perfect option to degrease a hearty dish, accompany a stew or, why not, serve as a first course. This is the case of pasta salad; a preparation that seems to be relegated to the hottest months, but that is perfectly suitable to put it in a lunch box and feed us at home or at work. Because not all salads are made of lettuce and tomato, you will love this recipe.

The second preparation of the recipe are some magnificent pickled mussels. An elaboration that, at the same time, is a form of conservation and a method of preparation. It has been with us for many years (it is said that it was the Arabs who introduced it in our country and, later, the Jews living in Spain who popularized it), camouflaged among supermarket shelves and accompanying our most intense snacks.

But the truth is that making pickled mussels at home is extremely simple and satisfying. Just poach and caramelize a lot of onion and 1 carrot, follow the proportion of 1 glass of vinegar + 1 glass of wine + 1 glass of oil and add the spices you like (bay leaf, black pepper…). They last an infinite amount of time in the fridge and, if you want, you can always make homemade preserves free of unnecessary additives. However, as we are always busy, if we can not roll the blanket over our heads, you can always take advantage of that marinade left over from a good can of mussels to dress our best salads.

The key to any salad is to have the best dressing and I can not think of a better vinaigrette than the one that results from making a great marinade.

How to make pasta salad with pickled mussels

Ingredients

. Red bell bell pepper, 1/2 pc Green bell bell pepper, 1/2 pc Little lacitos or farfalle (pasta), 400 g Orange, 1 pc Green part of spring onion, 1 pc Pickled mussels, 15 pc Pickled mussels, 1/2 glass Salt, c/s Ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, 1/4 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons Fresh coriander, a few leaves to taste

Step 1

Place a pot with water and plenty of salt to boil. When it starts to bubble, add the pasta and follow the time indicated on the package. It is advisable to leave it a minute less than indicated so that it is al dente. Drain and pass it under cold water to stop the cooking. Add a drizzle of oil to prevent sticking and stir well.

Step 2

Clean the peppers of veins and seeds. Cut them into strips and then into small squares. Do the same with the green part of the spring onion.

Step 3

Peel the orange and remove the white parts if you have them and they are very large, the albedo is the part that is more bitter and we are not interested. The ideal is to peel them “live” with a knife removing all the outer film. Cut into wedges and then dice

Step 4

Mix the peppers with the orange. Dress with that marinade that we have left over from making some great pickled mussels or from the can of marinade we have on hand. Add a little salt and black pepper, rectify the seasoning and add a little more vinegar or extra virgin olive oil.

Step 5

Add the pasta and integrate everything very, very well. Finish the dish with some mussels being careful not to break them when stirring everything well and a few coriander leaves. We could also add to the salad some arugula sprouts or some lamb’s lettuce to have a part of lettuce, it would also admit us very well a bit of crispy bacon that would counteract wonderfully with the mussels making a real sea and mountain.