Metro had mussels on sale this week, so I took that as a sign to give this a whirl. I bought a small pack, just shy of 2lbs and decided to make them this evening. Turns out, they're good for you too. They're high in vitamin B12, Omega 3 fatty acid and roughly 15 mussels have the same amount of protein as a 6oz steak. (Click here for more nutritional info on them)
I'm rather paranoid about my food. I very conscious of food safety and seafood really stresses me out. I guess I've heard one too many horror stories. So before cooking, I researched the proper way to clean and cook the suckers. Here's the trippy part - the damn things are alive. I noticed that there were holes in the plastic wrap covering the container and at first, I thought that the shells of the mussels had ripped it, but after reading up on them, I realized that they were air holes. The instructions said to throw out any that are open and won't close. To test this, you're supposed to tap them with your hand or against the counter or something. I'm going through the pile and find an open one. So I tap it...and I nearly threw it across the room because the damn thing closed right then and there in my had. Freaked me right out. LOL. Usually when I'm cooking something it's dead already!
So here's what you need:
Mussels. I used just shy of 2lbs but there was only one of me. According to the Tourism PEI website, you should allow 20-25 mussels per person. The mussels I bought were fresh, live, cultivated PEI mussels.
4-5 Shallots (you can use onions but you'll have a stronger flavour which might over power the mussels), finely chopped
4-6 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped.
1 Cup White Wine (I used Barfoot Wine's Moscato. It's sweet, just like the mussels so they went well together)
1tsp Smoked Paprika
1tsp Pepper
1tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp thyme (or 1 tsp of fresh)
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash
Good pinch of chili flakes (omit if you don't like it spicy)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped.
2 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter (if using salted, decrease the Sea Salt to 1/2 tsp)
Your favourite bread or buns to soak up the broth
Start by soaking the mussels in cold water for 20-30 minutes. This will get rid of any grit/sand that's in them. Drain them, de-beard them and check them over. De-bearding them is funny. Some of the mussels have this seaweed like thread on the side that you kind of wiggle out. It is a little like playing tug-o-war with the mussels. Eventually it comes free and you just toss it out. Check over the mussels carefully. If any are open and won't close when tapped, throw them out. If any have broken or cracked shells, throw them out.
While the mussels are soaking, prepare the shallots and garlic. Just chop both finely. Also, open the bottle of wine. Pour out a glass and have a few sips to ensure the quality of the wine. When cooking with wine, my idea is that if you can't stand to drink it, why cook with it? Once the alcohol burns off, the underlying flavours are what's left behind. I have to say, I picked a pretty gosh darn good wine.
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and butter. Once hot, add in the shallots. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn. Once the shallots are soft, add in all the spices and stir well (about 20 seconds). Add in the wine and stir again. You can now add in the chopped Parsley. You might want to reserve some to use as a garnish at the end. Bring everything to a boil.
Once boiling, add in the mussels and cover. Cook for 8-10 minutes. If you haven't finished that first glass of wine yet, do so now. If you've finished the first glass, pour another one while the mussels are cooking. You can swirl the pot once or twice (with the lid on) to prevent the mussels from burning to the bottom. Do not over cook the mussels. They'll get dried out and become tough. You know they're done when they open up and and the meat inside is plump. After the 10 minutes, if some haven't opened, just throw them out.
Pour everything in a big bowl and serve right away while they're still hot. I ate them by transferring 5-6 at a time to a soup bowl, and pouring some of the awesome broth over them. I also had a glass of wine with them.
I used a fork to get the meat out of the first one but then I used the empty shell like tongs to get the meat out of the rest. The shell also work great for scooping up the broth. They're a little messy this way but they were SO GOOD!!!!!!!!! And it really didn't take long to make. I think I might have to buy more mussels and make them again next weekend. I definitely needs more wine too ;)
Here's one last fun mussel trivia fact - if the meat inside is kind of white, it's a male mussel. If it's a rust or orange colour, it's a female. I think most of mine were females.
Enjoy!
Sarah
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