Mussels in Curry Sauce
Servings
4Serving size
1/2 pound mussels in the shell with sauceThis recipe serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course. This dish is great served with a side salad for a quick and easy dinner. Once cooked, mussels should be eaten immediately.
Ingredients
| 4 medium (2-1/2 inch dia) Whole wheat rolls (or gluten-free rolls) |
| 2 Tbsp. Olive oil |
| 1 to taste Black pepper |
| 1 tsp. Olive oil |
| 3 Medium Shallots, raw (finely minced) |
| 4 clove Garlic, raw (minced) |
| 1 cup White wine (a dry white wine will be best) |
| 1 leaf Bay leaves |
| 1/2 tsp. Curry powder |
| 2 lbs. (in shell) Fresh mussels |
| 1 Tbsp. Unsalted butter |
| 1 Tbsp Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw (chopped) |
| 8 leaves Fresh basil (chopped) |
Instructions
For the Bread
Preheat broiler or grill to 350°F (180°C).
Slice the rolls on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.
Brush the slices with the olive oil and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.
Grill or broil the slices of rolls on either side until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.
For the Mussels
Place the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir frequently.
Add the wine, bay leaf, and curry powder.
Bring the liquid to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Increase the heat to high and add the mussels.
Stir to combine, then cover and steam for 2 minutes.
Stir everything again and steam for 2 to 3 minutes more. The mussels are finished cooking when the shells open.
Using tongs or a slotted spoon remove the mussels and divide into 4 bowls.
To finish the sauce, whisk the butter into the broth and stir in the chopped herbs.
Pour the broth over the mussels.
Serve with the grilled bread.
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Special Diet Information
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Lactose
This recipe is safe for those who are lactose intolerant.
Recipe Notes
The touch of curry with garlic and shallots is a perfect complement to the sweet mussels. The fresh herbs really bring the dish to life and you can use almost anything you have on hand — parsley, chives, oregano, or a bit of fresh thyme.
Mussels should be kept in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Do not seal them into a plastic bag as they need to breathe. Discard any mussels that do not close after having their shells tapped (may take a minute or two). These are dead and not safe to serve. Clean mussels by pulling fuzzy beards from shell.
It used to be that one needed to clean mussels by soaking in cold water. You may see some recommendations to use salted water or even water that contains flour. This was true before mussels were widely farmed because they often contained grit that needed to be expelled from the shell before cooking. However, mussels are now well cleaned and purged of grit and simply scrubbing them is generally enough. Here are a couple of references:
fisheries.noaa.gov
seafoodnutrition.org