There are two really classic ways to cook and serve mussels: this Moules marinieres dish and the Moules frites one, both belonging, obviously, to the French tradition.
Moules mariniers means "Mariner's mussels" and is a very fast and easy to prepare way to serve these tasty bits. Mussels may be a bit of a put off for a lot of people out there if they haven't had a chance o taste them really fresh and really well prepared, but trust me: if you don't like mussels and seafood in general, you just haven't yet encountered the right one(s). :)
First of all, to ensure a successful culinary experience, the mussels need to be as fresh as possible (with only a few days guarantee). And you need to cook them the day you bought them, even if they're guaranteed to last for a few more days according to their label. But worry not :) : the ingredients needed besides the mussels themselves are so ordinary that you can go ahead and grab them off the shelves without worrying you won't find the rest of the stuff in time.
Traditionally, this lovely dish is served with French fries or a crispy warm baguette to dunk in the delicious broth (sauce) remaining after the mussels are steamed through. We chose the baguette to make sure we get as much of the yummy liquid as possible.
If you can find fresh mussels one day in the store or elsewhere don't hesitate and grab them, then return to this recipe and you'll be savoring a bowl of delicious wonders in no time that will change the way you think about seafood forever. :)
Last year: nothing.
Two years ago: nothing.
Three years ago: nothing.
Four years ago: Calabacitas con Elote (Zucchini with Corn) (Mexican).
Five years ago: Spicy artichoke and cheese pasta souffle.
Six years ago: Avocado and green leaf salad (vegan).
Seven years ago: Mushroom and broccoli filled omelet.
Eight years ago: Baby making and no cooking :).
Ingredients (serves 2-3 as a main):
- 1,5 kg mussels
- 50 g butter
- 250 ml white wine
- 1 shallot
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley (plus 1 extra)
- 50 ml liquid cream (30-33% fat)
- pepper to taste
- freshly baked crispy baguette to serve
First of all, wash the mussels really well under running cold water. Pull away and discard and fibrous "beards" you can find. Also throw away any mussels which are open.
Prepare a large and deep pan. Mince the shallot and garlic cloves and put them in the pan together with the butter.
After a sauce is formed and the onion and garlic bits are softened (3 minutes or so), add the wine, parsley and some pepper (skip the salt as the mussels are already salty enough by themselves).
Turn the heat to low and add mussels, one layer, into the pan. As each one opens up after 2-3 minutes of cooking, remove it with a spoon and put it on another plate/serving bowl etc. It's important to not remove the mussel too fast, as it won't be open and cooked enough, but not to let it cook too much as its flesh would become a bit rubbery. When you notice that after a minute of being open a mussel doesn't seem to open even more, than it's the time to remove it from the pan and put it in the serving bowl.
As the mussels open and are remove and more space gets freed into the pan, add some more fresh mussels and cook them too. In the end, discard from the pan the ones that didn't open at all, as they're not very good to eat. When all the mussels are cooked and into a bowl, only their sauce will remain in the pan. Add the extra parsley and the cream to it:
Mix and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Divide the sauce to the serving plates then top with the mussels. Serve by eating the flesh from the open mussels with crispy bits of baguette dunked into the creamy sauce. Dig in! :)
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