Mussel And Spinach Gratin Recipes

MUSSELS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Scrape mussels under cold running water and remove beards. Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped.
• Combine mussels, onion, wine, and pepper in a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, shaking pot frequently, until mussels open, about 5 minutes.
• Combine bread crumbs, parsley, and garlic in a small dish. Whisk oil and lemon juice together in a second small bowl.
• Snap each mussel into 2 parts and place the shell with the meat in an oven-proof dish. Make sure no liquid remains on the shell; discard the empty shells. Spoon parsley mixture over the mussels and drizzle with the oil mixture.
• Bake mussels in the preheated oven until topping is crunchy, about 10 minutes.

OVEN-ROASTED MUSSELS WITH FRESH SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean the mussels. Inspect each one carefully and discard any that have opened (if some are partly open, tap them with your finger, and if they close back up they are O.K.) or have cracked shells. Place in a large bowl, fill the bowl with cold water and rinse several times, swishing the mussels around in the water, pouring out the water and refilling. Clean the shells, if necessary, with a brush or the end of one of the mussels, and pull out the beards -- the hairy attachments emerging from the shells. Do not do this until just before cooking, or the mussels will die and spoil.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the mussels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the mussels, pointed ends up, in a single layer in a cast iron skillet and/or a heavy baking dish. Spoon the marinade left in the bowl over the mussels and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until most of the mussels have opened.
• Meanwhile, steam the spinach in a large pot above 1 inch of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, arrange on a large round platter, and season with a little bit of coarse sea salt and pepper.
• Arrange the mussels that have opened on top of the spinach and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard any mussels that have not opened. Arrange all of the mussels on top of the spinach, pour the juices in the pan over the mussels and spinach, sprinkle on the parsley and serve over a bed of steamed spinach, with crusty bread.

MUSSEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Toss together mussels, tomatoes, basil, crème fraîche, cheese, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in an oiled 3-quart (about 13- by 9 1/2- by 2-inch) baking dish.
• Rub 1 cut side of each bread slice with halved garlic and arrange bread, garlic side up, over mussel mixture in baking dish. Brush tops of bread with oil.
• Bake gratin in middle of oven until bread is golden brown on top, about 15 minutes.
• Serve mussels spooned over garlic toasts.

MUSSELS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Wash mussel shells and add to boiling water. Cover and cook until mussels open. Discard any mussels that have not opened. Drain the mussels and let cool enough to handle. Pull them out of the shells and snip off the beard with a pair of scissors. Set mussels aside and keep warm. Discard half of the shells and reserve the others.
• Clean the spinach, trim off any large stems and plunge into a fresh pot of boiling water 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, chop spinach coarsely. Keep warm. In a small skillet, combine shallots, wine and lemon juice. Reduce over low heat until liquid is nearly gone (watch carefully as the reduction will scorch easily at this point). Remove pan from heat and add one or two pieces of butter. Stir steadily with a whisk until the butter is no longer in a solid form, yet not liquid either. It should resemble the consistency of a thin mayonnaise. Incorporate the rest of the butter, one or two pieces at a time, returning the pan to a low heat as necessary, retaining the same consistency. If butter separates, the heat is too high; remove it from the heat and whisk rapidly to re-emulsify. Set sauce aside and cover to keep warm. To serve, place about 1 teaspoon of the warm spinach in each reserved half -shell and top with mussel. Pour 2 teaspoons warm sauce over each. If desired, garnish with slivers of red pepper.

MUSSEL-AND-SPINACH GRATIN

Steps:

• In a large, deep-sided saucepan combine the wine and mussels, and over high heat bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and cook just until the mussels open, about five minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat. Remove the mussels with a strainer, then strain and reserve the mussel cooking liquid. Discard any mussels that do not open.
• Allow the mussels to cool slightly, and when they are not too hot to touch, remove them from their shells and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spinach and cook just until soft, for one or two minutes. The spinach should remain a bright, vivid green. Immediately drain the spinach and rinse it thoroughly in cold water to set the color. Drain thoroughly, squeezing out any excess liquid. Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg and set aside.
• Preheat broiler.
• Prepare the hollandaise: In the top of a double boiler combine the egg yolks and mussel cooking liquid and beat with a whisk over hot but not boiling water until fluffy.
• Add a few spoonfuls of butter to the mixture and whisk continually until the butter has melted and the sauce begins to thicken. Be certain that the water in the bottom of the boiler remains hot but does not boil. Continue adding the butter, bit by bit, stirring constantly.
• Add the salt and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Add several tablespoons of hollandaise to the spinach and toss. Divide the spinach among four six-inch round baking dishes and flatten it into a smooth bed. Sprinkle the mussels evenly over the spinach, then spoon hollandaise sauce over the mussels.
• Broil just until the top is crisp and brown. Serve immediately.