Love Mussels
November 01, 2005
Tis the season for shell fish. You heard me - get your tail to the nearest Whole Foods (best fish market of any chain store) and buy some of the freshest shellfish of the season. Right now, mussels are around $3 per pound. This underrated shell fish makes an excellent soup, pasta, or appetizer. I decided to serve these mussels over a bed of angel hair pasta drizzled in hot butter and olive oil, tossed with parsley, salt and pepper. This seasonal delight is sure to please any seafood craving for two.
You will need:
- 2 lbs fresh mussels,
- handful chopped parsley,
- 2 garlic cloves,
- 1/4 whole white onion,
- 1 lemon,
- 1 c white wine, 1 c water (for mussels); 1/4 c white wine and 1/3 c cream for pasta
- pasta (optional),
- butter, olive oil, piquin pepper.
Step One: When you go to the store to purchase your shellfish, (2 pounds worth for this recipe) be sure to tell the fishmonger to give you closed shellfish only (open ones are either breathing or worse - dead). When you purchase any shellfish, you have to cook it that day and keep it on ice in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. Take the shells and dump them into a colander, rinsing under cold water. Lightly scrub each mussel, removing the "beard" or the thing that looks like sea plant stuck to the lip of the mussel. When you finish rinsing and scrubbing the mussels, throw them into a pot (make sure that these are all closed shells only, remove the open shells because the diagnosis is now confirmed - the little guy is dead).
Add 1 cup of white wine and 1 cup of water to the mussels. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze it into the pan and throw the lemon in too along with 2 crushed garlic cloves, a couple sprigs of parsley, dash of pepper, crushed piquin pepper, and a slice of white onion. You may also add a tablespoon of butter or dash of olive oil for extra flavor. Put a lid on the pot and cook on medium-high for about 7-10 minutes or until the shells open and the mussels turn orange. Remove from the heat immediately. You can serve these "as-is" in a bowl with the brine (the cooking liquid from the pot) and a piece of baguette. You may also add 1/3 cup of cream to the brine and simmer for another 3 minutes. If you want a more substantial meal, go to Step Two.
Step Two: While the mussels cook, bring another pot with water to a boil and throw in a dash of salt. Add the angel hair pasta and cook according to directions. Remove the pasta, rinse in cold water and set aside.
Step Three: In a sauce pan, melt 2 tblsp of butter and 4 tblsp of olive oil at medium heat. Add one crushed garlic clove and cook for another minute. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley, and 1/4 cup of white wine. You may also add 1/3 cup of cream at this stage if you'd like. Cook this for another 4 minutes, add pasta and toss until pasta is warm again. Place pasta in bowls, add mussels, and brine.
Serve and enjoy
