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1
Clean the Mussels
10 Mins
Cold running water
Put the mussels in a large bowl of cold water and scrub each shell with a stiff brush, pulling off the fibrous beard with a sharp tug towards the hinge. Rinse well and throw away any mussel with a cracked shell, and any open one that does not close when tapped firmly.
Soak the mussels in cold salted water for 10 minutes and they will spit out any sand.
Done when: Clean shells, no beards, every mussel closed or closing when tapped.
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2
Soften the Longaniza and Chop the Vegetables
10 Mins
Simmering water, 100°C (212°F)
Drop the longaniza into a small pan of simmering water for 2 minutes to soften it and draw out excess fat, then drain and slice it into rounds about 1 cm thick. While it cools, slice the onion into thin half-moons, crush the garlic and chop the parsley.
Pre-cooking the longaniza keeps the broth from turning greasy.
Done when: Longaniza sliced into even rounds; onion feathered, garlic crushed, parsley chopped.
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3
Build the Sofrito
4 Mins
Medium heat, about 180°C (350°F)
Heat the olive oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry for 2 minutes until it softens and turns translucent. Add the garlic, the longaniza rounds and the oregano and fry for 2 minutes more, stirring, until the sausage starts to colour and the kitchen smells of garlic and spice.
Do not let the garlic brown — it turns bitter. Keep it pale gold.
Done when: Onion soft and translucent, longaniza lightly coloured, garlic fragrant.
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4
Steam the Choritos
10 Mins
High heat, boiling 100°C (212°F)
Pour in the white wine and the water, add the bay leaf and bring the pot to a rolling boil. Tip in the cleaned mussels, put the lid on tight and cook on high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pot firmly by its handles once or twice so the mussels at the top drop down into the broth. The mussels are done when they have all opened wide.
Do not lift the lid to peek — the steam is doing the cooking. Shake the pot instead.
Done when: Every mussel open wide, the orange flesh plump and the broth bubbling.
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5
Finish with Butter, Lemon and Parsley
1 Min
Residual heat, off the burner
Take the pot off the heat and throw away the bay leaf and any mussel that stayed shut. Drop in the butter cubes, squeeze in half the lemon wedges and scatter over the parsley and a grinding of black pepper. Put the lid back on for 1 minute so the butter melts into the broth, then give the pot one last shake and serve at once, straight from the pot, with the remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Serve the mussels in deep bowls with plenty of broth — the broth is half the dish.
Done when: Butter melted into a glossy broth, mussels hot and glistening.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the choritos straight from the pot in deep bowls, ladling the wine and longaniza broth over the open shells, with lemon wedges and crusty bread on the side for scooping up every drop.
Chile
35m
