Steamed Mussles

 

Getting Started:

Mussels are hard-shell mollusks that live in both fresh water and salt water. They are one of my favorite appetizers because they can be packed with flavor, interactive to eat, and very light and non-filling!  The first step to cooking mussels is to discard any that are broken or dead.  I can tell you from personal experience that one thing you DO NOT WANT TO EAT is a bad mussel; it will make for a terrible next day!  I always think it best to be safe and discard any mussels in question.  So how do you know when a mussel is bad?  That's easy ... just soak them in cold water for about 15 minutes, drain, and discard any that are open and don't close when you flick them.  This means that they are dead ... throw them away!  Next you want to remove the beards.  Some mussels have stringy parts called beards.  Give these a yank towards the hinged end of the mussel to remove.  If you pull it the other way then you can rip the mussel and kill it.  Now give the mussels a look over and brush any that may have sand or barnacles or any other sea debris.  

Ingredients:

2 lbs Mussels, cleaned

3 Tablespoons EVOO

1 Shallot, minced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1 Teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 Cup white wine

a dash of your favorite hot sauce

2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

some good rustic bread

Description:

All you really need to make steamed mussels is a large pot with half an inch of water in the bottom.  Everything else you add is really to enhance the flavor, but I know some people who prefer them with just salt and pepper.  I on the other hand, never miss an opportunity to layer some flavors!

Get your pot nice and hot, add the EVOO and Sauté the mussels, shallot and garlic for 3-5 minutes.  Next add a dash of your favorite hot sauce.  You want to only add enough to add a little complexity here, you don't actually want to taste hot sauce so only add a small dash.  Add the crushed red pepper flakes and white wine (I wonder the rest of that bottle is going to end up ... ).  Cover and let this steam for 5 minutes or so.  Next add the heavy cream, parmesan cheese and parsley.  Simmer uncovered for about 3 minutes.  Now dump into a nice bowl and serve with some rustic bread.  The natural broth that is made during cooking is often used as a sauce and is perfect for dunking bread!

Note:  Be sure to discard ay mussels that are closed when eating.  Two steps to not eating bad mussels: 1) ONLY COOK THE CLOSED ONES (pre-cooking),  and 2) ONLY EAT THE OPEN ONES (after-cooking) !