The most common feedback I hear is: “They’re rubbery.” And my usual response? “Let me tell you how to cook them so they’re not.” This is one of the most tender, easily digestible, and incredibly healthy sources of protein. A real treat for your taste buds and your health. I absolutely love it.
Here’s what we’ve got: 500 g of rapana (whelks) and 500 g of mussel meat. First, clean the whelks (this is essential) with a simple motion of the knife, separate the white meat from the innards and the tough trunk-like part inside.
- 500-1000 g of peeled rapeseed meat and mussels
- 400-500 ml pasata (tomato sauce)
- 7-10 cloves of garlic
- parsley
- 2-3 tbsp. capers (optional, but with them many times tastier)
- red wine vinegar
- salt
- olive oil
In a frying pan (with sides that flare slightly outward - if they’re straight or curve inward, that’s a braising pan), heat olive oil and sauté peeled and chopped garlic cloves for 1–2 minutes until very fragrant. Add the cleaned rapana (whelks), patted dry with a paper towel. Sear for one minute, then add the mussel meat and cook together for another 2–3 minutes. Pour in the passata and splash with wine vinegar. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Finish by adding capers, salt, and chopped parsley.
In a frying pan (with sides that flare slightly outward - if they’re straight or curve inward, that’s a braising pan), heat olive oil and sauté peeled and chopped garlic cloves for 1–2 minutes until very fragrant. Add the cleaned rapana (whelks), patted dry with a paper towel. Sear for one minute, then add the mussel meat and cook together for another 2–3 minutes. Pour in the passata and splash with wine vinegar. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Finish by adding capers, salt, and chopped parsley.
