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A bowl of tomato and mussel pasta with rocket salad and a drizzle of olive oil

Tomato & Mussel Pasta

Pre-cooked mussels, garlic, courgette and cherry tomatoes tossed through pasta with Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a squeeze of Wilson’s Lime Juice. Twenty minutes, one pan for the sauce, done.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 160 g dried spaghetti or linguine
  • 1 tablespoon Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil plus extra to finish
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 sticks celery or ½ a fennel bulb, finely chopped
  • 1 small courgette halved and finely chopped
  • 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
  • 150 g pre-cooked mussels from a vacuum pack, drained
  • 1 tablespoon Wilson’s Lime Juice
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • To serve:
  • A handful of rocket
  • Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil for dressing
  • Wilson’s Lime Juice to taste

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
  2. While the pasta cooks, heat the Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery and courgette and fry for 5 minutes until softened.
  3. Add the cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to collapse.
  4. Add the pre-cooked mussels to the pan and stir gently. Heat through for 2 minutes.
  5. Reserve a cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it straight to the sauce. Toss everything together, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed.
  6. Stir through the Wilson’s Lime Juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  7. Finish with a drizzle of Wilson’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  8. Dress the rocket lightly with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve the pasta in warm bowls with the rocket alongside.

Notes

Adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Tomato & Mussel Pasta.
 
Pre-cooked vacuum-packed mussels are what make this a proper weeknight recipe — no scrubbing, no checking for closed shells, no wine reduction. They’re in most supermarkets near the fresh fish or in the chilled section. Pick the garlic and herb variety if you can find it.
 
The Wilson’s Lime Juice goes in at the end, off the heat — a tablespoon is enough to lift the whole sauce and cut through the richness of the mussels. Add a little more to the rocket salad dressing alongside.
 
Celery or fennel both work in the base. Fennel gives a slightly sweeter, more anise-forward flavour that works well with seafood. Use whichever you have.