Mussels are a favourite of mine in many ways. They're super healthy, cheap, and not least really tasty with all the different flavours you can cook them in. This is the most recent way I cooked mussels, very fresh with a bit of a bite from chipotles in adobo. I also thought it was interesting with red wine in the broth since you usually use white wine with any kind of seafood, but this really works. Makes about 3-4 servings
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 can (28oz - 796ml) diced tomatoes, well drained
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
1/8 tsp allspice (no, not an all-purpose rub)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 slices lime
4 lbs fresh mussels
(a baguette)
Go through the mussels and see if there are any bad ones - any that are open and won't close at all after tapping the shells a few times might be bad and should be thrown out. Also check for "beards", kind of small threads coming out the side - just pull those off either with your hands or small pliers.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir frequently until it's fragrant and the seeds have gone a shade darker. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is lightly browned, stirring often. Then add the tomatoes, wine, chiles and allspice, wait until it bubbles then turn down the heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Then bring the mixture to a full boil, add the mussels and cover the pot. Shake it occasionally or open once after a couple of minutes and redistribute the mussels with a large spoon to cook evenly. Once they've opened, they're done. Take off the heat and add the chopped cilantro and lime slices, stir with a large spoon so the cilantro is evenly distributed. Serve the mussels in bowls and use the shells to catch the broth. I also recommend a baguette to use for dipping and soaking up the broth.
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Hey Calle! That's a great looking recipe. The good sized dose of cilantro at the end makes it especially appealing. Would love to try it out but due to odd circumstances I don't have the luxury of choosing what I cook.
ReplyDeleteProceeding to my main point: if you're on Facebook (and still in Waterloo--dunno, you haven't posted in awhile), you may be interested in joining the "Food in the Waterloo Region" group. The description reads "A group to discuss food and restaurants in the Waterloo Region... Also feel free to discuss cooking, recipes, equipment, yada yada, and anything really that's related to food and eating."
http://www.facebook.com/groups/100139230070795/
Hope to see you there :)