Tomato Rice Stuffed Mussels

This recipe for stuffed mussels with rice and tomato makes a delicious starter that will impress guests, yet it’s simple enough for a family meal.

Have you ever stuffed a mussel?

Before trying this dish I’d never considered stuffing mussels. I’ve stuffed mushrooms before, but mussels felt like a new idea — and it worked beautifully.

I discovered the basic recipe in a seafood collection, then adapted it to bring out more tomato and herb flavour.

Changes I made include cooking the rice with the tomatoes and onions so it absorbs their juices, adding fresh dill and parsley at the end to preserve their brightness, boosting the tomato flavour with a little tomato paste, and finishing the stuffed mussels with a sprinkle of Parmesan before baking.

The result is tender, plump mussels and flavourful rice, the cheese lending a pleasant creamy bite. It’s a simple but impressive starter.

What I love most is how easy it is to prepare. Apart from waiting for the rice to cool so it’s easy to handle, the steps are straightforward and quick.

If you want to turn this into a complete seafood dinner, serve the mussels alongside garlic butter prawns, a green salad and garlic bread for a restaurant-quality meal at home.

Ready to make them? Here’s everything you need and how to prepare stuffed mussels with rice and tomato.

What you will need

Equipment

You’ll need a large saucepan with a lid for cooking the mussels and a colander to drain them. A sharp knife and chopping board are required for the vegetables and herbs. For the rice filling use a large saucepan or a sauté pan — a sauté pan gives a wider surface area and may slightly change the cooking time. Finally, bring a baking dish large enough to hold the mussels in a single layer; an 8″ x 12″ dish works well for about 24 mussels.

Ingredients

This recipe serves about 6 people as a starter. With the addition of prawns and salads it can become a main course for 4.

Depending on shell size you may have leftover rice. I filled 24 medium shells and still had roughly one cup of cooked rice left over — enough to fill a few more mussels if yours are smaller.

Mussels — fresh, in their shells. Discard any that are cracked, broken, or remain open when tapped. Remove any beards and rinse well under cold water.

Rice — long-grain rice such as basmati works well.

Garlic paste — or minced fresh garlic.

Onion — peeled and finely diced.

Tomatoes — finely diced; peeling is optional.

Tomato puree (tomato paste) — adds concentrated tomato flavour.

Parmesan cheese — finely grated for sprinkling before baking.

Salt — to taste.

Fresh dill and parsley — finely chopped and stirred into the cooked rice at the end to retain freshness. If using dried herbs, add them with the rice and use slightly less volume.

Dried oregano — added with the stock.

Also have some olive oil on hand for frying the onions.

What to do

Rinse the mussels under plenty of cold water. Remove and discard any cracked or broken shells and any mussels that don’t close when tapped. Pull off any beards and rinse again.

Place mussels in a saucepan with a cup of cold water, cover, and bring to the boil. Boil for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the shells open. Drain in a colander and set aside to cool. Discard any mussels that remain closed.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and gently fry the finely chopped onion over low to medium heat for 4–5 minutes until translucent. Stir frequently and avoid browning.

Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Cover the pan and cook over low to medium heat until the tomatoes soften and release their juices. If the mixture starts to stick or dry, add a splash of water and reduce the heat.

Pour in the water and add salt, tomato puree, rice, dried oregano and any other dried herbs you prefer. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped fresh dill and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little more salt if needed. Leave the rice covered to cool until it is easy to handle.

When both mussels and rice are cool enough to handle, preheat your oven to 180°C (360°F) and begin stuffing.

Use a tablespoon to place a spoonful of cooled rice onto each mussel half in the shell. Press the top shell gently over the rice to secure it, then arrange the stuffed mussels in a single layer in the baking dish.

Sprinkle the stuffed mussels with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned. Don’t overbake, or the rice will dry out.

Serve hot as an appetizer on a bed of salad leaves with sliced tomatoes. To serve as a main course, add garlic butter prawns, a larger salad and garlic bread.

Stuffed mussels FAQ

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Related recipes

If you enjoy mussels, you might also like creamy mussel pasta, mussels with tomato pasta, mussels in a creamy garlic sauce, or an easy Spanish paella. Try experimenting with similar ingredients for other simple seafood dishes.

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