Bord Bia is encouraging Irish people to cook more mussels at home and this chilli and garlic mussel pasta recipe is a great easy midweek dinner option.The chilli flakes give a little kick without overpowering the other flavours, letting the mussels shine.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

–1 kg mussels, prepared
–1 tbsp olive oil
–2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
–2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
–1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
–Pinch chilli flakes
–300g linguine
–2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
–Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve
–Lightly dressed green salad

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.Add the shallots, garlic, chilli flakes and cook for 2-3 minutes. They should soften but not brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and simmer for ten minutes. Taste and season with black pepper and a little salt.
3. Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
4. While the pasta is cooking add the prepared mussels to the tomato sauce. Allow the mussels to cook for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to ensure they cook evenly. Discard any that have not opened.
5. When the pasta is cooked, drain, saving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the saucepan it was cooked in along with the reserved cooking liquid.
6. Pour the mussels and tomato sauce on top of the pasta and mix well. Return the saucepan to a low heat for a couple of minutes to heat through.
7. Drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with a green salad

New survey results announced by Bord Bia show a strong national appreciation for Irish mussels, with a huge majority (94%) revealing they like to eat mussels.And as an island nation known for exceptional seafood, our booming mussel industry is now producing over 15,000 tons of mussels a year.The research also showed that while many of us eat mussels when dining out at a restaurant(92%) or on holiday (90%), fewer had tried to cook mussels at home (77%).In response, Bord Bia’s new ‘Flex Your Mussels’ campaign aims to show just how quick and easy it is to prepare delicious Irish mussels at home. What’s more, upload a photo of your home-cooked mussels dish to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with #flexyourmussels and you could win a €100 One-for-All voucher, with 3 winners chosen on July 4th by food writer and Bake Off Judge Lilly Higgins.

For more information on the #Flexyourmussels campaign visit bordbia.ie.