How to make
Thoroughly clean the mussels from their whiskers and hard formations on their shells. Discard those with damaged and broken shells, they are not fit for consumption.
Put the seafood in a pot along with 2 bay leaves, pour the white wine, cover it tightly with a lid and turn on the stove to the highest temperature. Once the temperature is reached and the liquid boils, time it for 2 minutes, during which time shake the pot periodically.
Once all of the mussels are open up, remove from the heat and strain the broth, but keep 1 cup from it - it is composed of wine and sea water, which is separated by the mussels.
Once the seafood has cooled, remove the edible part from the shells and distribute them in convenient containers or plates that can be sealed later.
It's time to prepare the marinade escabeche. For it, cut the garlic cloves into thin slices and fry them in the olive oil heated over a moderate heat along with the rest of the bay leaf. As soon as the garlic starts to turn golden, immediately remove it from the heat and add the two types of paprika - smoked and ordinary. Stir briefly and pour the vinegar and the mussel broth, that you set aside.
Add the black peppercorns and stir again. Pour this marinade over the mussels in the prepared containers. It has to cover them completely.
Leave them to cool completely, seal the containers tightly and refrigerate them for 1 day before consuming them.
The mussels escabeche prepared in this way are ideal for an aperitif at any time with a glass of white wine. You can store them for up to a few weeks in the refrigerator and always have them on hand when you want an appetizer or want to impress your guests.
Enjoy your meal!