'Nduja is a soft, spreadable Calabrian sausage made from fatty ground pork and sun-dried chiles that melts when heated, releasing spicy, umami-rich flavor and a fiery red color. The sausage is used to flavor mussels steamed in dry white wine with sautéed shallot and garlic, finished with lemon juice and zest. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the resulting broth. Mussels should be fresh, discarded if cracked or unresponsive when tapped, scrubbed to remove grit, and debearded. Nduja is available at Italian markets and many grocers; refrigerate after opening to prevent drying and flavor absorption.
The fatty ground pork that makes the spreadable salume such a tasty topping for pizza and pasta melts when it is heated up in a pan, blooming the Calabrian chile in the sausage's own fat. The result not only imbues the dish with a flaming red hue - that bleeds onto your fingers, if you're not careful - but adds a spicy, umami-rich flavor that is quite addictive.
In this recipe adapted from Serious Eats, the sausage gives a spicy kick to mussels steamed in dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc, which also is good for pairing with the finished dish) along with sauteed shallot and garlic. A good squeeze of lemon along with its zest adds to its bright finish. To serve, you definitely need a crusty, quality bread - such as sourdough or a baguette, hopefully toasted - to soak up the broth.
Mussels are best prepared and eaten the day you buy them. When cooking them, be sure to discard any that are cracked or don't close when tapped with another mussel. To remove grit, scrub shells well under cold running water. To remove beards, grab and pull toward the hinge-end of the mussel. You can find 'nduja at most Italian markets and Whole Foods.
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