Southeast Asian Mussel Salad Recipes

MUSSEL SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the potatoes, garlic, scallions, carrots, and green papaya. Add 4 tablespoons aioli and toss gently. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Divide onto 2 salad plates and arrange 6 mussels on each plate
• In a blender puree yolks with sambal, garlic, and lime juice. With the blender running, add canola oil in a stream and emulsify mixture.
• Wine suggestion: Alsace Gewurztraminer Heissenberg

THAI-FLAVORED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of water to the boil. Put the stock, shallot, garlic, lime leaves, and ginger in a saucepan, cover and let it bubble away at a moderate to high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until you have a thickish, softish mess at the bottom of the pan. Check to make sure it isn't either burning or just getting too dry for comfort, and add a bit of boiling water if it is. Meanwhile, put the mussels in a sink filled with ice-cold water. Chuck away any that don't sink and then, as you remove them, make doubly sure by chucking away any that don't shut when you tap then sharply. I wouldn't expect you to have to throw many away, so don't worry unduly.
• Add the chile pepper to the mixture in the pan. After about 30 seconds, or just long enough to get them out of the sink, add the mussels and then throw over them 1/2 cup boiling water, and then the lime juice, mirin, and fish sauce mixed together. Cover, give the pan a shake, and leave on a high heat for about 3 minutes, by which time the mussels should have steamed open. Add half the coriander, shake again, and pour into a noodle bowl. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander and eat.

ASIAN-STYLE MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil a large skillet, with a lid, over medium heat. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and chili, and stir-fry until golden and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the water, fish sauce, and sugar, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover and steam until they open and plump slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and mint leaves. Divide the mussels and broth evenly among the bowls. Serve.

SOUTHEAST ASIAN MUSSEL SALAD

Steps:

• Put mussels in a large pot with a lid. Pour 1/4 cup water over all, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady bubble (you will hear it and see some steam escaping). Shake pot now and then.
• Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, lime zest and chilies in a large bowl; add bean sprouts, cucumber and red pepper.
• Mussels will be done in 5 to 10 minutes, or when all or most of the shells have opened. Remove and let cool slightly, reserving cooking liquid. (If there is a great deal, reduce it while you shuck mussels.)
• When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and add them to bowl with vegetables and dressing. Add cilantro and as much of the reserved cooking liquid as you need to make mixture saucy. Toss well to combine, adjust seasonings and serve, or refrigerate for up to a few hours.

MUSSEL SALAD

Steps:

• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add lemon juice, white wine, and the mussels. Cook until the liquid dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, add balsamic dressing, parsley, thyme, and tomatoes. Continue to cook on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring to prevent the dressing from separating. Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the mussel mixture to cool. Add the mussels and sauce, the spinach, feta, and the corn to a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, toss and serve.

CHILLED MUSSEL SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a medium pot over medium-high. Add mussels and 1 tablespoon pepper; stir to combine. Cover pot and steam until shells open and mussels are cooked, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer cooked mussels to a bowl or rimmed baking sheet and let cool. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.
• In a medium bowl, whisk to combine mustard, lemon zest and juice, honey, shallot, garlic, saffron, curry powder, and a pinch of salt. While whisking continuously, slowly drizzle in oil.
• In a large bowl, combine mussels, radishes, watercress, and parsley. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with parsley.

ASIAN STYLE MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil a large skillet, with a lid, over medium heat. Add the shallots, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and chili, and stir-fry until golden and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the water, fish sauce, and sugar, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover and steam until they open and plump slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Discard any mussels that do not open. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and mint leaves. Divide the mussels and broth evenly among the bowls. Serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS, ASIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Put the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the mussels and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the scallion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.
• Add the mussels, turn the heat to high, and cover the pot. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until they all (or nearly all) open, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Scoop the mussels into a serving bowl. Add the soy sauce to the liquid, then pass it through a fine strainer (or a coarse one lined with cheesecloth). Pour the liquid over the mussels and serve.
• Variations
• Curried Steamed Mussels: Substitute butter for the oil. Substitute shallot for the scallion and omit the ginger and garlic. When the shallot is soft, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Cook and finish as directed, substituting the juice of 1 lime for the soy sauce.
• Thai Steamed Mussels: Use peanut oil. Add 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped; 1 small dried hot red chile; and 2 lime leaves to the scallion, ginger, and garlic. Substitute nam pla (fish sauce) for the soy sauce.
• Steamed Clams with Soy: Most mussel recipes will work for steamers, which are also known as soft-shell clams. But steamers must be rinsed after shucking to remove all traces of sand, and you don't want to dilute these delicious broths by dipping clams into them one after the other. The solution is to substitute littlenecks-small hardshell clams, the kind served on the half shell and used for pasta with clam sauce-for the mussels. These contain no sand at all, but because their shells are heavier, use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of littlenecks to replace each pound of mussels. Proceed exactly as directed.
• Mussels
• Every year, we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are far tastier but harder to clean. When cleaning mussels, discard any with broken shells. If the mussels have beards-the hairy vegetative growth that is attached to the shell-trim them off. Those mussels that remain closed after the majority have been steamed open can be pried open with a knife (a butter knife works fine) at the table.