Ignore the mussels in these pictures for a minute. They were good, but what I really want to talk about here is the saffron tomato sauce that they’re smothered in. Oh my goodness. With a luxurious, velvety texture that clings lightly to each strand of pasta, and a complex flavor that’s a tiny bit sweet, a little exotic, and has a faintly spicy note that’s familiar but at the same time hard to place (hint: it’s vanilla!), this sauce is the stuff dreams are made of.

The sauce goes great with mussels, and I’m sure it would be delicious with shrimp or chicken too, but you could just give me a ladle full on top of a big bowl of plain pasta and I’d be a happy camper. Honestly, I’d probably be happy even without the pasta – this sauce is so good that I’ll happily eat it by the spoon full.

I like to use San Marzano tomatoes, which are naturally lower in acidity and have a sweeter flavor than other canned tomatoes, in this sauce. Some brands can be expensive, but there are a few brands that aren’t bad at all. I like Bella Terra Organic San Marzano Tomatoes, which are about $3 per can. Since the rest of the ingredients in this sauce are cheap (I stock up on cheap saffron at Trader Joe’s whenever I’m visiting a place where there is one), I still make out better than buying a jar of “good” sauce. If you can’t find San Marzanos or want a cheaper option any can of whole peeled plum tomatoes will do.

Milk and butter add a layer of richness and help give the sauce its amazing texture. Full fat or skim milk will work, but you can also use almond milk or even coconut milk if that’s what you have around. I actually used Silk Simply Coconut in the sauce shown here and was very happy with the way it turned out (I had a coupon for a free half gallon of the milk, which is delicious!)

Mussels with Saffron Tomato Sauce

Name: Mussels with Saffron Tomato Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 large (28 oz) can Whole, Peeled Tomatoes, preferably San Marzano; 1/2 bulb Fennel, chopped (1/2 cup); 1 small Onion, chopped (1/4 cup); 1 clove Garlic, minced; 1/4 tsp Saffron, lightly crushed; 1/2 tsp Vanilla; 1/4 cup Milk; 1/2 cup Water, reserved from cooking pasta; 1 tsp Butter; 2 pounds Mussels scrubbed; 8 ounces dry Pasta

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 large (28 oz) can Whole, Peeled Tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1/2 bulb Fennel, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small Onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Saffron, lightly crushed
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Milk
1/2 cup Water, reserved from cooking pasta
1 tsp Butter
2 pounds Mussels scrubbed
8 ounces dry Pasta

Instructions

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.

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While waiting for the water to boil: Add the tomatoes, along with the puree or juice they’re packaged with, into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process several seconds, until smooth.

Heat the oil in a medium (3 Quart) saucepan. Add the garlic, fennel, and onions and cook 5 minutes or until softened. Add the pureed tomatoes, saffron, and vanilla. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer at least 15 minutes.

Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Steam the mussels in a separate pot. When the pasta has finished, stir 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and 1/4 cup of milk into your sauce. Drain the pasta.

Add the butter and stir until it melts into the sauce. Serve sauce over pasta and mussels.

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I’m submitting this post to Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Simona of Briciole and to Wanderfood Wednesday.

Comments

Yoshi Blade says
07/13 at 8:12 pm

Thanks for this great recipe for mussels with saffron tomato sauce. It sounds like a great dish.

The Food Hunter says
06/28 at 4:45 pm

I love mussels!! great recipe.

Lindsey says
06/26 at 5:33 pm

WOW. That looks insanely good! I happen to love mussels with tomato sauce and this with the saffron and vanilla makes me want. it. NOW. I’m definitely making this. I’ll let you know how it is!

Question: did you use vanilla extract or did you scrape vanilla out of a pod?

- Lauren says
  06/26 at 6:23 pm
  
  I just used extract.
  
Cara says
06/25 at 3:34 pm

This sauce sounds so fantastic. Fennel, vanilla, AND saffron? So many layers of flavor. I’m doing to taste it!

sara says
06/24 at 1:03 pm

This looks so tasty! What a lovely sauce, and it looks like it would go amazing with pasta and mussels!

Simona says
06/22 at 4:25 pm

The use of vanilla caught my attention as well. I’ll give it a try. I am not a bug fan of mussels, so I am glad the sauce can go by itself. Thank you so much for contributing this to Presto Past Nights!

sophia says
06/22 at 12:28 am

Minus the kick-ass saffron, you just made my dad’s favorite dish: pasta + mussels in tomato sauce!

Joanne says
06/21 at 1:53 pm

I love it when I make a sauce that’s good enough to drink! This is so intriguing, Lauren, and I can’t wait to try it!

sarah, simply cooked says
06/21 at 3:57 am

Hmm, that is a really interesting combination. I never would have thought of making tomato sauce with both saffron and vanilla. I can see how it would work well! What inspired this mixture?

- Lauren says
  06/21 at 2:41 pm
  
  I love saffron and tomato with seafood and use the combination often. The vanilla was a little bit of an experiment… I had a tomato sauce at a restaurant not too long ago that was incredibly good. It had this really familiar flavor to it that I couldn’t place. I have no idea what it really was, but thought it might possibly be vanilla so I gave that a try. I still have no idea if it’s what they used or not, but it was fabulous in the sauce!
  
rebecca subbiah says
06/21 at 12:06 am

wow this looks amazing your such a fab cook

Ingredients

Instructions

Comments

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