One of the many legacies of Spanish colonization is the wide presence of spicy gambas in our local cuisine. Like Spanish tapas, gambas cooked in generous amounts of garlic and chili peppers are also popularly served as “pulutan” or appetizers at our social gatherings and bar scenes.
This spicy tahong is a spin-off of my favorite Filipino-style spicy gambas recipe, using shelled mussels in place of the more expensive prawns. In fact, this recipe is super flexible you can substitute squid or bay scallops with ease. Robust with garlic and spices, it is the perfect accompaniment to party drinks yet equally wonderful paired with crusty bread or spooned over steamed rice. Ahhh, the garlicky pan juices. Delicious, my friends, just delicious.
Spicy Tahong
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mussels, shelled and drained well
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head garlic, peeled and minced
- 6 to 7 Thai chili peppers, stemmed and minced
- 1 small onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 small bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a wide pan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add garlic and chili peppers and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Increase the heat to high. Add onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring regularly, for about 1 minute or until tender yet crisp. Add mussels and continue to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and wine. Continue to cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Garlic burns fast. Make sure oil is warm and not hot when sauteing garlic so it will infuse its flavors into the oil without burning.
Buttered Tahong says
October 27, 2014 at 8:11 amWow sarap naman po nito, kanina lang nagluto ako ng buttered tahong tapos nakita ko to.
Ma try nga next time hahaha thank you po sa recipe
edelweiza says
September 9, 2014 at 8:25 pmThat tahong dish looks yummy! I love how you plated it, so nice. 🙂
I eat mussels cooked in any way. But the simplest I got to eat which turned out to be very tasty was my MIL’s mussels just dipped in flour and then fried. No need to add salt because the mussels are already salty on their own. 🙂
Lalaine says
September 9, 2014 at 11:26 pmHi Edel
Crispy tahong is one of my favorite appetizers, it’s actually one of the first recipes I posted here, https://www.kawalingpinoy.com/2013/06/crispy-tahong-deep-fried-mussels/. Great minds think alike 🙂