Mussels are a really versatile ingredient which well with a wide range of flavours. Best of all, they are grown around the UK and are still one of the most affordable seafood ingredients. Here, Mat Follas shares one base recipe featuring variations based on three different alcohols – cider, white wine and beer.
Read our review of Fish by Mat Follas here.
These three ways with mussels are simple and easy to make, and work well as a starter or main.
Mussels Three Ways
Ingredients
WITH CIDER & SAMPHIRE
- 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 kg (35 oz) mussels
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) cider
- 150 g (5½ oz) samphire
- 50 ml (3½ tablespoons) double/heavy cream
WITH WINE (MEUNIÈRE)
- 2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 kg (35 oz) mussels
- 200 ml (¾ cup) white wine mixed with
- 100 ml (⅓ cup) water
- 50 ml (3½ tablespoons) double/heavy cream
WITH ALE & GARLIC
- 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 kg (35 oz) mussels
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) ale
- 50 ml (3½ tablespoons) double/heavy cream
Notes
Instructions
- For each recipe, in a large pan set over a gentle heat, sweat off the onion in the vegetable oil until translucent. Then add the garlic (the garlic will burn if you add it at the same time as the onion) and continue to cook gently for another couple of minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the mussels by gently rinsing under cold water and removing any ‘beards’. Use a table knife (or any blunt knife) to scrape any loose barnacles off the shells and grab the beard with it to pull it off.
- For mussels with cider and samphire, remove any hard stalks from the samphire, then finely chop.
- Put all of the mussels into a saucepan set over a high heat, add the alcohol and cover. Bring to the boil for 2–3 minutes until the mussels have opened – don’t overboil or you’ll have rubbery mussels.
- Take off the heat, add the double/heavy cream (and samphire if using), stir and spoon the mussels into big bowls (there’s going to be a little grit at the bottom of the pan, so don’t serve the last spoonful of the sauce).
- Serve with generous hunks of bread to mop-up the delicious juices.
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Kavey Eats received a review copy of Fish: Delicious Recipes for Fish and Shellfish by Mat Follas from publisher Ryland, Peters & Small. Photography by Steve Painter.
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