Turkish-Style Stuffed Mussels

Name: Turkish-Style Stuffed Mussels
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling; 48 large mussels, scrubbed and debearded; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons pine nuts; 1 cup raw long-grain rice, soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes and drained or rinsed under cold running water; 1 cup raw long-grain rice, soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes and drained or rinsed under cold running water; 1 cup raw long-grain rice, soaked in tepid water for 30 minutes and drained or rinsed under cold running water; ½ cup canned crushed tomatoes; 2 tablespoons dried currants, soaked in tepid water for 15 minutes and drained; 2 tablespoons dried currants, soaked in tepid water for 15 minutes and drained; 1 teaspoon sugar; ¼ teaspoon freshly ground allspice berries; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste; Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste; 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Preparation info

Makes
12
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mediterranean Small Plates

By Clifford A. Wright

Published 2023

About

Ancient Ephesus, near Izmir, was noted in classical times by the writer Diphilus of Siphnos as having excellent mussels. Midye dolması, mussels stuffed with rice, are a popular restaurant meze in Istanbul and Izmir, where mussels are abundant. The stuffing can also be used for grape leaves, tomatoes, peppers, and cabbage.

Ingredients

48 large mussels, scrubbed and debearded
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large

Method

Over a bowl, open the mussels with a clam or oyster knife, collecting the liquid and making sure the two shell halves don’t come completely apart. Do this gently because the mussel shells are fragile and can crack easily. You should have about ½ cup of mussel liquid. Cultivated mussels will not have this much liquid, so add enough water to whatever is collected to bring