Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, featuring

Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend

The Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend is, as its name suggests, great with almost anything, and is very nice with seafood. It’s a great shortcut to flavor in this classic pasta sauce. Other Salt Table blends that would also be great in this sauce are Pride Blend, Southern Italian Blend, and Tybee Island Coastal Blend.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 dozen live mussels
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • ½ cup white wine
  • About 2 teaspoons of Salt Table’s All Round Good Grinder Blend, freshly ground
    Salt Table Himalayan Pink, or Halle Salt
  • 12 ounces (¾ of a 1 pound box) linguine
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley, optional
  • 2 tablespoons freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus ½ cup for serving

How to make it:

  1. Scrub mussels under cold running water. Cover with cold water and let soak a few minutes. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rapid boil.
  2. Meanwhile, put the oil and shallot in a 3-quart saucepan and sauté over medium high heat until it’s colored pale gold, tossing often. Add the garlic and hot pepper sauté ½ minute. Add the wine and 2 teaspoons of Pride Blend, bring to boil, and simmer 2-3 minutes. Drain and add mussels. Cover and cook until the mussels pop open, removing them to bowl as they open.
  3. When all the mussels are opened, adjust the heat to medium. Shuck the mussels, discarding their shells, and add their accumulated juices to the pan. Boil the cooking liquid until it has evaporated by half. Turn off the heat.
  4. When the pot of water is boiling, stir in a small handful of salt and the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, using the package directions as rough guide. When pasta is almost done, reheat sauce over medium heat and when bubbling add mussels. Gently toss until hot through. Taste and adjust the Pride Blend and turn off heat.
  5. When the pasta is done, immediately drain and transfer it to a warm bowl. Add the sauce, butter, cheese and parsley (if using) and toss well. Serve immediately, passing more cheese separately.

 

Suggested Seasonings

All ‘Round Good Grinder Blend