Fresh blue cultured mussels, also referred to as PEI Mussels, are a wonderful ingredient to plan a romantic meal around. Grilled, steamed, dipped in butter or cooked in a curry or wine based broth, mussels are a Seduction  Meal in the making. I always wondered why it never made the Aphrodisiac list next to oysters and other shellfish. Simple, healthy and delicious--now that's a great combo! 

Here we have Mussels Marinara. The first time I had mussels in marinara sauce was in Italy when I was staying in a tiny fishing village and the owners of the restaurant made a special dish for us. It was magnificent! You can serve this on its own with crusty white bread to dip the sauce or you can serve this over a plate of pasta. 

Spicy Mussels Marinara
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp white onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp red wine
• 1 3⁄4 tomatoes, crushed
• 1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  
• 1 pinch salt and pepper
• 24 fresh cultured blue mussels

Instructions

1. Rinse fresh blue mussels in tap water.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in oil until onions are transparent.
3. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
4. Add half the wine, reduce, then add remaining wine, tomato, herbs and seasoning. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf. Cover and steam mussels in small amount of water over high heat until open (5-8 minutes).
6. Pour sauce over mussels. Enjoy!