Mussels: The Perfect Appetizer
I love Mussels! And I don’t only mean on my man. Mussels (the seafood) are perfect to share with friends and family before your main course. The sauce is almost as addicting as your partner and the only way to indulge is to soak it up with warm, fresh bread. I prefer Garlic Bread, which I’ve also added below. The combination of garlic, herbs, butter, and natural salt will have you screaming for more (almost as loudly as you do for your partners muscles). So if you’re looking to flex (and share an impressive party dish) keep reading for my secret to great mussels (the seafood).
Warning: there is a lot of garlic in this recipe, so make it with people you are comfortable around (or honestly make for whoever. If they don’t like garlic you should probably reconsider the relationship).
Pro Tip: This dish pairs well with white wine!
P.S. I don’t measure, I eyeball, so season to your liking!
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30 minutes
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10-15 minutes
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4 (or 2 depending on how many mussels you want)
Ingredients
Mussels
2lbs Live Mussels (ask your butcher to clean and de-beard them for you)
Lots of crushed garlic (I used 6 -7 big cloves)
1 shallot
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 tbsp of unsalted butter
half a squeezed lemon
Chopped parsley
Dash of salt
Dash of black pepper
Dash of red chili flakes
Garlic Bread
Fresh baked bread loaf (you can use baguette, Italian, as long as the outside is crisp and inside is fluffy)
6 tbsp of garlic herb butter from Kerrygold ( or regular salted butter if you can’t find)
Sprinkle of chopped parsley
5 big cloves of crushed garlic
Directions
Mussels
Start by preparing the mussels. Inspect each one to make sure all beards are removed; there might be a couple the butcher missed. Remove any leftover beards by pulling them from the shell (they are located on the straight edge of the mussel not the curved side). Once all beards are removed, give them a thorough rinse. I like to rinse them a couple of times to remove excess dirt/sand. Once I’m finished, I check for any open mouths, open mouths means that they are usually dead. You can test this by tapping them gently to see if they close on their own, they sometimes take a minute to close so I put them to the side to give them a little time to close on their own. If they don’t close then they are most likely dead and need to be thrown out. You don’t want to cook a dead mussel!
Put your mussels to the side and prepare your seasoning. Finely chop your shallots, and crush your garlic. I use a garlic crusher and run the garlic through twice before tossing the remains. Wash your parsley, finely chop, and place to the side. Heat your stove to medium temp. Prepare your pan by lightly coating with olive oil. Once your pan is hot add in your shallots and garlic. Cook until shallots are translucent, then add a dash of salt and pepper (note: add a minimal amount of salt to season the shallots and garlic. Remember, mussels are naturally salty so you don’t need to add extra). Add your white wine next, and cook down until the alcohol smell is gone. This might take a couple of minutes. Next, add your red chili flakes, butter and stir until combined and then your parsley. Season to taste, add more black pepper or chili flakes if needed. Finally, place your mussels into your pan, spread them evenly and cover. Let them cook for about 10 minutes or until all the shells have opened.
Garlic Bread
Prepare your garlic bread while your mussels are cooking. Slice your loaf in half and spread your garlic herb butter (or salted butter). Layer your crushed garlic evenly on both sides and spread. Lastly, add your parsley and press into the butter. Fold the bread over and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and slice after it’s cooled.
Remove your mussels from the pan, squeezed a little lemon juice over them and serve with your garlic bread. Bon Appetit!