Mussels with Israeli Couscous and Tomatoes Recipe

By
Blake Royer
Blake Royer is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Blake Royer
Blake Royer is a former chef, food blogger, and food writer who contributed recipe ideas and Chicago-based content to Serious Eats from the website’s earliest days.
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Updated Sep. 13, 2020
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Blake Royer

The general idea for cooking mussels hasn't changed all that much: you start with some aromatics like garlic, onion, shallots, or leeks; you go on with tomatoes, or a splash of white wine, probably a little butter; and you finish by adding the mussels, which open to release their delicious brine, forming that wonderful "pot liquor" for sopping up with crusty bread. That broth is the best part of any mussels recipe.

So this recipe is intriguing: no crusty bread in sight. But by adding in pearls of cooked Israeli couscous (a larger variety, though you could also use the smaller couscous to substitute) and simmering them for the last few minutes of cooking, they begin soaking up that musselly, tomato-and-fresh-oregano broth. I loved the way this became something halfway between traditional mussels and a rich soup. It was less messy to eat and that broth-with-cous-cous base pretty much stole the show.

Adapted from Lucid Food.

Recipe Details

Mussels with Israeli Couscous and Tomatoes Recipe

Active 25 mins
Total 30 mins
Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 1/2 cups yellow onion

  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

  • 5 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked off and chopped

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, broken up into 1/2- to 1/4-inch pieces

  • 1/2 cup white wine

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 cups Israeli couscous

  • 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded (discard any that do not close when tapped)

  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened and just starting to brown, four to five minutes. Add the garlic and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and white wine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add cous cous, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cous cous is softened, about 10 minutes.

  3. Add the cooked couscous to the tomatoes and stir well to combine. Nestle the mussels in and amongst the couscous, cover the pan, and increase heat to high. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels are all completely open, 1 to 3 minutes (discard and mussels that do not open).

  4. Add half the parsley and stir to combine. Divide the mussels and cous cous amongst four serving bowls top with remaining parsley and serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
702 Calories
21g Fat
84g Carbs
41g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 702
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 27%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 63mg 21%
Sodium 1241mg 54%
Total Carbohydrate 84g 31%
Dietary Fiber 10g 36%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 102mg 511%
Calcium 161mg 12%
Iron 12mg 68%
Potassium 1681mg 36%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)