Red Stripe Steamed Mussels Recipes

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Put olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper and let sizzle for 30 seconds without browning. Add the mussels, stir to coat and increase heat to high. Add the wine or water, and put on lid. After 2 minutes, give the mussels a stir, then replace lid and continue cooking until all mussels have opened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Paint cut sides of the baguette pieces with oil and place cut side up under broiler to toast. Rub toasts with the remaining garlic cloves.
• Stir the chopped parsley into the mussels, then ladle mussels and broth into bowls. Serve with the garlic toasts.

MUSSELS WITH RED WINE AND ROASTED GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. On parchment-lined foil, drizzle garlic with oil; tightly seal. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Once cool, remove cloves from papery skin and set aside.
• In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat; add thyme and roasted garlic cloves. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, then add wine and season with salt. Bring to a boil, add mussels, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered and undisturbed, until shells have opened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir mussels and, with a slotted spoon, transfer to a warm serving bowl. (Discard unopened shells.) Return broth to a boil and reduce by half. Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter and parsley. Ladle sauce over mussels and serve immediately.

RED STRIPE-STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Make the Scotch bonnet butter: Wearing protective gloves, mince 1/4 of the pepper to yield 1 teaspoon. Thinly slice the remaining pepper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine minced pepper, butter, garlic, thyme and ground allspice. Use a rubber spatula or fork to mix together until well incorporated.
• Make the escovitch: In a large bowl, combine bell peppers, chayote, onion, carrots, reserved sliced Scotch bonnet pepper, rice wine vinegar, bay leaves, salt, allspice berries, sugar and 1½ cups water, and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for as long as possible, at least 2 days. The mix will hold for 2 months and the flavors will become more concentrated the longer it sits.
• Make the steamed mussels: Put a large heavy pot (at least 8 quarts) over high heat and add oil, garlic and scallions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are fragrant and soften slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add mussels and shake pan to mix with the vegetables, then add beer and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook until mussels open, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the lid, add Scotch bonnet butter and stir well to melt the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve straight out of the pot, with the escovitch spread over the mussels in a thin layer and cilantro sprinkled on top.

MUSSELS IN SPICY RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper, and saute until fragrant, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the white wine and tomato sauce, increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.
• Add the mussels and replace the lid. Cook over high heat 3 minutes. Remove the lid and stir once gently. Continue to cook until the mussels are completely open and firmly cooked, about 4 minutes more.
• Remove the pot from the heat and transfer the mussels gently from the pot to a large bowl with a Chinese wire mesh skimmer. Return the pot to the heat and increase the heat to high. Boil for a minute or 2, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the sauce over the mussels and serve immediately.
• Place the canned tomatoes in a large bowl and place your (clean) hands in the bowl and crush the tomatoes so they breakup into a range of small pieces.
• In a 5-quart Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat until it is fragrant, but before it smokes, about 40 seconds. Add the bay leaves and stir them in the oil until they begin to brown, about 10 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it starts to turn golden brown, then add the onions, carrots, and oregano. Cook the vegetables until they are very brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir occasionally, just enough to prevent them from scorching.
• Add the crushed tomatoes with their juice, the tomato paste, salt and pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water, (white wine or clam juice can be added depending on the intended use) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer, partially covered until the sauce level has reduced by 2 or 3 inches and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Cook the sauce for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick.
• Remove from heat, cool down in the pot, then when at room temperature, transfer to a sealed plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.
• This sauce will keep 10 days in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Using my recipe for basic Red Sauce, you can make a quick and spicy "fra diavolo" sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled squid and other seafood. For equipment you will need a 3-quart saucepan and a wooden spoon.
• Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan slightly over medium heat and saute the garlic and crushed red pepper until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 40 seconds.
• Add the Red Sauce, clam juice, and salt, to taste, and simmer, stirring occasionally over medium-low heat, until the sauce returns to the thickness and quantity of the Red Sauce, about 15 minutes.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sweat the shallots until translucent and without any color, 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer before adding the mussels. Cover tightly with a lid and steam until the mussels open, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mussels from the pot to avoid over-cooking, and discard any that do not open. Serve alongside the cooking liquid.

MUSSELS IN RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Wash the mussels under fresh water, scrape the shells as necessary and remove all the beards. Add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic into a pot. Once the garlic turns golden, add the mussels. Occasionally stir the mussels. After 4 minutes, add the white wine and 1 tablespoon of the parsley. Cook for another 3 minutes and set aside. By now all the mussels will have opened. Any mussels that do not open discard as they may not be good. In another pan, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the other 3 cloves of garlic. Once the garlic turns golden, add the crushed tomatoes and salt and hot pepper as desired. Let the tomatoes cook for 4 minutes. Filter the broth from the mussels and add it to the sauce. Let everything cook for 3 more minutes. Add the mussels to the sauce and the remainder of the parsley. Cook for 7 more minutes and serve with crusty Italian bread.

STEAMED MUSSELS I

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with mussels. Sprinkle chopped onions and garlic over the shellfish. Do not add water, as mussels produce all the water needed for steaming! Cook over high heat until most or all of the mussels open. Discard any that do not open.

EASY STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Scrub and clean the mussels and remove the beards on the mussels by pulling them off. Drain and set aside.
• Heat up a skillet on medium heat. Add the olive oil. Saute the garlic a few times before adding the mussels. Stir and toss the mussels. Add the white wine and diced tomato. Cover the skillet with its lid and steam for 1 minute or until all mussels are open.
• Add the lemon juice, salt (to taste) and parsley. Stir to combine well. Serve hot.

MUSSELS IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot oil until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant; 1 minute more. Reduce heat to medium. Stir tomatoes, parsley, and rosemary into onions; cook until tomatoes soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Press tomatoes to release juice. Pour red wine into skillet, scraping up any browned bits of food using a wooden spoon. Bring liquid to a simmer. Add mussels and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells open, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MUSSELS PORTUGUESE STYLE

Steps:

• Prepare mussels, discarding any that will not close after a light tap.
• Heat olive oil, or combination olive oil and butter, over medium heat in a dutch oven. Saute garlic about 5 minutes, but do not allow to brown.
• Add chicken broth and wine. Allow to come to a boil.
• Add mussels and cover. Steam about 2 - 3 minutes until shells open. Do not overcook or mussels will become rubbery. Discard any unopened shells. Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley.
• Serve "family style" in the pot or in individual bowls. French bread can be used to sop up sauce.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Wash all the mussels, and scrub them if they seem at all gritty. Scrape away any beard. Chop up the shallots, toss them into a large heavy pot, and pour in the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, to reduce the wine slightly, then dump in all the mussels. Cover the pot, and cook over brisk heat until all the shells have opened (if any have remained firmly shut after the rest have opened, discard them). Dish up into a warm bowl as many mussels as your healthy appetite dictates, scatter a small handful of chopped parsley over them, and spoon most of the liquid on top.
• Shell the remaining mussels, and pack them and the broth tightly in a refrigerator container, reserving about a dozen handsome shells.
• I got the idea for these seasonings out of Ken Hom's engaging book Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood. He remembers how his family enjoyed this treat, using chopsticks and accompanying the mussels with a bowl of rice. So, if you want to do the same, get the rice going first (see page 169). Pour the liquid from the remaining mussels into a small pot; you'll want about 1/2 cup; if you haven't enough add some light chicken broth to make it up. Cut a medium clove of garlic into slivers, and scatter them into the liquid. Grate some fresh ginger-about 1/2 teaspoon-directly into the pot, stir in 1/2 teaspoon good curry powder, a splash of dry sherry, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and a generous pinch of sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for a few minutes, then fold in most of the remaining mussels (you want to reserve eight to twelve, depending on their size, for the third round). Simmer just long enough to heat the mussels, then spoon them over a serving of warm rice. Sprinkle on a chopped scallion and a tablespoon or so of chopped cilantro or parsley.
• I like to have the remaining mussels bathed in a chilled sauce and returned to their shells. It makes a nice offering if someone stops by for a drink, or just to enjoy alone. Prepare a vinaigrette with 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, a large pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add about 1/4 red pepper cut into small dice, 2 chopped scallions, 1/2 hard-boiled egg, chopped, and a couple of tablespoons chopped parsley (if you have some tarragon, that's good, too). Marinate the reserved mussels in this sauce for an hour or so, or even overnight. Spoon the mussels into the reserved shells; you may want to use two mussels, if they are very small, per shell. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over them. Eat by just sucking the mussel from the shell into your mouth.
• Sometimes I prefer my mussels in the shell warm instead of chilled. Recently I noticed them on a bistro menu in Paris served in escargot butter, and I ordered them. They came on an escargot plate, swimming in heady garlic butter, and they were scrumptious-better than snails usually are. So, of course, I've been doing them that way chez moi ever since.
• For the escargot butter: Mash 2 tablespoons butter with 1 fat clove of garlic and 1 shallot, both finely minced, then dried by squeezing them in a towel. Add pepper to taste, and work in about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Then all you need do is tuck one or two mussels, depending on their size, into the indentation in the escargot plate, and top it with about 1/2 teaspoon of the snail butter. Fill up as much of the snail plate as you like, and pop into a 400° oven, cooking until the contents are hot and bubbling-about 5 minutes. If you have any leftover snail butter, it's good on any kind of fish or seafood, and even vegetables. Make double the quantity the next time if you find it's something you want to have handy. You can freeze it, too.