Tiella with rice, potatoes, and mussels, photo of the dish, Cesarina Anna

In the heart of Apulia: Tiella with potatoes, rice, and mussels

03/01/2025

Orecchiette, pasticciotti, friselle, taralli, cartellate: these are just some of the specialties that make Apulia an essential destination for all food lovers. But no list would be complete without including the dish we are sharing the recipe for today: Tiella with potatoes, rice, and mussels!

Our Cesarina Anna from Bari (a city where this dish is particularly popular, so much so that it's also known as "Tiella barese") will guide us through all the steps to prepare this delicious specialty that will fill your kitchen with the aromas of the sea and the Mediterranean.

What makes this simple yet flavorful single-course meal is that it’s prepared directly in the pan, the "tiella", with raw ingredients arranged in layers, all placed in the oven until the rice, mussels, and potatoes are perfectly cooked and a succulent crust has formed on top.

Composite photo with Cesarina Anna and steps to prepare the Bari-style tiella

In the past, the tiella was also a sign of the social class of the person preparing it: the more mussels there were, the wealthier the family. Today, this distinction no longer exists, but families still have their own variations of the recipe, often based on seasonal ingredients.

"The tiella with potatoes, rice, and mussels is a typical dish from Bari, incredibly tasty; seemingly easy to prepare, but actually quite complicated because the success of the dish depends on the balance of ingredients. But do you say 'Potatoes, rice, and mussels' or 'Rice, potatoes, and mussels'? Zucchini, yes or no? Every person from Bari will tell you their version, just like everyone will give you their own recipe. I’ll tell you to call it however you like, but learn to cook it properly, and as for the zucchini, if you want my advice, add it only in summer when it’s in season".

Tiella with rice, potatoes, and mussels by Cesarina Anna

Tiella barese (potatoes, rice, and mussels)

A delicious one-dish meal where each layer is an explosion of flavor

DifficultyMedium

Preparation time1h

Cooking time45m

Servings6

€

CostLow

Ingredients

1 kg of mussels (preferably Taranto mussels)
600 g of potatoes (yellow-fleshed as they are rich in starch)
250 g of rice (Carnaroli or Roma)
250 g of cherry tomatoes
120 g of Pecorino Romano
2 medium white onions
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Parsley to taste
Water, salt, pepper
2 small zucchini (optional)

Method

Clean the mussel shells thoroughly, using a scrubber if necessary.
Open the mussels, leaving half the shell, and collect their liquid in a container.
Soak the rice and potatoes after peeling and slicing them into approximately half-centimeter-thick slices.
Coarsely chop the onions, grate the Pecorino cheese, chop the tomatoes into pieces, and finely chop a bunch of parsley and the garlic (with the germ removed).
Prepare a solution with one liter of water and about 7-8 g of salt (the amount of salt depends on how flavorful the mussels are).
Slice one or two zucchini (preferably seasonal).
In a baking dish, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil and create a base layer with the onions, sliced zucchini, some cherry tomatoes, and the potatoes.
Add an even layer of mussels, with the flesh facing upward, and then distribute the rice so it fills the mussels. Season with chopped tomatoes, parsley, pepper, cheese, garlic, and olive oil.
Create another layer of potatoes and season again with tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, pepper, cheese, and olive oil.
Now, pour the filtered mussel liquid along with the saltwater solution near the edge of the baking dish, ensuring the liquid reaches just below the top layer without "drowning" the potatoes.
Cook for about 10 minutes on the stovetop to quickly bring it to temperature (use a heat diffuser if using a terracotta dish), then transfer it to the oven, preheated to maximum temperature.
The total cooking time is about 40-45 minutes. The potatoes on the top layer should be slightly browned.