Linguine with smoked mussels, lemon and capers

This dish plays with textures and taste, from the crunchy, garlicky crumbs to the smoky mussels and sharp lemon. Serves four to six.

200g smoked mussels (drained weight)
The zest and juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp capers in brine, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g dark sourdough bread (choose one with a good crust)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 handful picked flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
400g linguine

In a bowl, combine the mussels, lemon juice and zest, and capers, season and put to one side.

Whizz the bread in a food processor for a few minutes, until you have a mixture of fine and chunky crumbs. Toss these in two tablespoons of oil, to coat, then season generously.

Heat a frying pan on a medium-high flame, then tip in the breadcrumbs and fry, tossing or stirring regularly, for seven to 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Add the garlic after three or four minutes, so it fries a little and loses its raw flavour. Once the crumbs are golden, turn off the heat and stir in the parsley.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the linguine until al dente. Drain, then toss with the remaining glug of oil, the mussels, lemon, capers and a good grind of pepper. Serve at once topped with the toasted breadcrumbs.