This dish of smoked mussels on hummus with smoky paprika and chives is a deliciously addictive yet quick and easy snack that’s perfect for entertaining. Present it as a fancy dip that guests can scoop up with crackers or crunchy crisps or serve it with warm toasted Turkish bread fingers so guests can spread the hummus and mussels on top to create their own customised canapés.
One of our best tinned fish recipes, our recipe for canned smoked mussels on creamy hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika and chives is something of a retro appetiser that might remind you of the tinned smoked mussels with toothpicks or mussels topped on cream cheese on Jatz biscuits that your mother might have served back in the 1970s.
This smoked mussels on hummus recipe is next in a series of new recipes for snacks, finger food, hors d’oeuvres, canapés, and dishes made for sharing, for the entertaining season ahead. I recently kicked off the series with this recipe for a creamy avocado dip with asparagus, spiced chickpeas and pangrattato and have since added this fancy sardines on toast recipe.
If you’re already starting to think about seasonal gatherings with loved-ones, from casual get-togethers like backyard barbecues and beachside picnics, we have loads of snacky recipes in our archives, from recipes for dips for crackers and crudités, Spanish tapas, Basque pintxos and Mediterranean mezze, to picnic food and pot luck ideas if you’re asked to bring a plate and dishes for feeding a crowd.
If you’re looking for cooking inspiration, do browse our archives, where we have many hundreds of recipes from around the world. Now let me tell you all about my recipe for canned smoked mussels on hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika and chives.
Smoked Mussels on Hummus with Quick Pickled Shallots, Smoky Paprika and Chives
My recipe for smoked mussels on hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika and chives is a riff off a recipe for a dip of harissa crème fraiche topped with smoked mussels, paprika and chives – with two fundamental differences and a couple of minor tweaks.
I loved the look of the harissa crème fraiche with smoked mussels so much when I spotted the recipe by siblings Ellie and Sam Studd, children of cheese guru Will Studd, in their cheese column in Delicious magazine, that I made it immediately. But despite loving harissa and crème fraiche, the spicy cream dip didn’t appeal to us…
We had some hummus in the fridge – we always have hummus in the fridge – so I tried it with hummus and it was heavenly. Hummus was a wonderful match with the mussels, especially smoked mussels, sprinkled with smoky ground paprika.
The other element that we didn’t love so much was the finely chopped shallots in lemon juice, which was too tart and too tangy for us. So I quick pickled the finely diced shallots in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it was so good; soft and velvety and more balanced in flavour.
The presentation is similar – both dips are topped with smoked mussels and diced shallots, and sprinkled with smoked paprika and chives – but I made another couple of tweaks.
I also sprinkled on pangrattato, the crunchy Italian fried breadcrumbs, to add more texture, and as the mussel oil tasted so good, I poured it around the dish for dipping, instead of draining it, which would have been a waste. We dipped warm toasted Turkish bread into a little of the oil before scooping up some of the hummus and smoked mussels, and it was absolutely wonderful.
Just a few tips to making this recipe for smoked mussels on hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika and chives.
Tips to Making this Smoked Mussels on Hummus with Quick Pickled Shallots, Smoky Paprika and Chives
Just a few tips to making this recipe for smoked mussels on hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika, pangrattato, and chives, as it’s super easy to make and comes together quickly.
Hummus
We have a recipe for an authentic creamy homemade hummus, which Terence learnt to make from a Lebanese work colleague when we lived in Abu Dhabi many years ago. But if you’re short on time, of course you could use a good store-bought hummus.
Pangrattato
Like dukkah, I always have pangrattato on hand, as I sprinkle the stuff on everything from eggs to salads to add crunch and texture. I used this plain pangrattato the first time I made this dish. But you could try this pangrattato with lemon zest, parsley and parmesan (which I did the second time I made it), but in that case, skip the parmesan and chives. We also loved this.
In Italian, ‘pangrattato’ means grated bread, or breadcrumbs – ‘pan’ is bread, and ‘grattato’ is grated – but typically refers to the crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. To make pangrattato, you simply stir-fry the breadcrumbs continuously in extra virgin olive oil (preferably) or a decent quality olive oil in a pan over medium heat until golden-brown and crunchy.
Italian cooks use plain breadcrumbs, but we also use Japanese panko breadcrumbs sometimes for extra crunch and texture. I use this round flat bottomed wok for almost everything and it’s perfect for making pangrattato, but by all means use your favourite frying pan.
It’s essential to continuously stir-fry the breadcrumbs. I use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. Don’t stop frying, as they’ll start to burn. As soon as the breadcrumbs turn golden-brown, pour them into a bowl to cool. When completely cool, pangrattato can be transferred to mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars.
Mussel Oil or Olive Oil
Do try the oil that the canned mussels are in first before pouring it around the dip. I know that sometimes the oils in canned seafood are too fishy-tasting, but the gently spiced oil in the mussels I used was delicious and very more-ish. If you don’t like it, simply use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Serve the dish with pita crisps and/or sourdough crackers for scooping it all up. We also love it piled onto warm toasted Turkish bread. Enjoy!
Smoked Mussels on Hummus with Smoky Paprika and Chives
Ingredients
- 1 small shallot - very finely diced
- 1 tsp Italian balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - divided
- hummus - homemade or store-bought
- 120 g can smoked mussels in oil
- ½ tsp ground smoky paprika
- 2 tbsp pangrattato - Italian pan-fried breadcrumbs, see our Tips to making it above if you don't have any on hand
- 2 tbsp fresh chives - sliced into 2cm lengths
Instructions
- An hour before preparing this dish: to a small bowl, add the finely diced shallots, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, stir to combine thoroughly, and set aside until the shallots are silky, soft and pink.
- Generously spread the hummus onto a serving plate, spoon on the shallots, scatter the smoked mussels on top, and sprinkle on the smoky ground paprika, pangrattato and fresh chives.
- Just before serving: if the oil the smoked mussels are in is delicious, drizzle a little on top and around the edge of the hummus for dipping; if not, drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve with crackers or crunchy crisps for scooping, cheese sticks for dipping, or provide cocktail size forks, knives and warm toasted Turkish bread for guests to assemble their own hors d'oeuvres.
Nutrition
Please do let us know in the comments below if you make this recipe for smoked mussels on hummus sprinkled with quick pickled shallots, smoky paprika and chives as we’d love to hear how it turned out for you.
Lara, this is so yummy. Made it for our first barbie since last summer. Friends coming over in a hour and I’ve eaten half! Sending hubbie to IGA to get more ingredients! Making double when he gets back! thank you!!!
Hi Alison, so pleased you liked it :) Seeing you’re in Australia, try the ‘Studd Siblings’ harissa creme fraiche with smoked mussels recipe on the Delicious site and let me know what you think. Thanks for taking the time to drop by. Enjoy your barbecue!