Nupur Blog Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Chef Sergi de Meià, who consulted with the author for this article. At the height of Spanish mussel season every July to September, seafood packers make the most of the harvest by preserving them in tins as escabeche, a type of pickle. Vibrantly red from pimentón and glossy with olive oil, these pickled whole mussels can be enjoyed in endless ways: as pintxos atop toasted bread, or perhaps incorporated into appetizers, sides, and main dishes. Unlike escabeches made with sardines or tuna, which are often made from scratch in homes and restaurants, mussels escabeche is much more common in its tinned form. But mussels enthusiasts should take note: they taste even better homemade. “Canned mussels are often a little too soft and overcooked,” Chef Sergi de Meià, president of the Catalan Cuisine Institute and one of the leaders of the Slow Food movement in Catalonia. “It’s important to cook them carefully so they have more texture, to ...