Work Your Mussels!

From: Good Eats Season 3 Episode 2     


Whenever we make a trip into Dallas we always try to get to H-Mart, the best Asian market in town. They have the best produce selection, tons of fresh seafood, and Yogurtland! Most recently I made a huge list of all of the ingredients I wanted to try to get for more Good Eats recipe creations and my parents found nearly everything I needed.


In order to get the most of their freshness, I made the mussels first!


To keep them alive, they need humidity (also the same for clams) so put them in a dry container and top with a moist paper towel with a sealed bag of ice on top. Store them in the fridge. DO NOT place them in ice or fresh water, or they will die! We don't want that to happen, well, not yet at least. I'm not quite sure how long they will keep like this, probably a few days, but I couldn't wait so they only stayed like this overnight. 


Get everything together:

Hardware:

• A large stockpot with fitted lid
• Colander that can fit into said stockpot and be heated (not plastic)
• Chopping board, knife
• Needlenose Pliers (for the mussels beardy beards)
• Stick or Immersian Blender
• Serving bowl/platter (needs to have high lips so that it can hold in that YUM sauce)

Software:

• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Garlic - Minced
• 1 Large Leek - Washed, Trimmed, and Chopped
• 1 PINCH of Kosher Salt
• 48 Fresh Mussels - Blue or Mediterranean
• 1 Tomato - Seeded and Chopped
• 1 1/2 Cups White Wine - Cheap but not Undrinkable
• Handful of Fresh Parsley (I didn't have this, but I know it would have helped)

First and foremost, I cleaned each of the mussels and removed the beards with the pliers.

That's a picture of the icky beard hanging from the mussel, to remove grab (with the pliers) low and twist!

DO NOT dispose of them down the sink, they are KRYPTONITE for garbage disposals! Please, do this over a plastic baggie...  or some other trash receptacle!

 

Rinse each mussel shell under the tap and rub the mud off, either with your hands or with a scrubbie.  You will be steaming these over your sauce so you don't want any nasties getting into that deliciousness!

As you are cleaning them place them in the colander, it is okay if they are on top of each other... Also, be on the lookout for cracked shells, If the shell is crack the mussel cannot be salvaged, so throw it away! Don't think twice about it, just do it! I had fun tapping on the shells and watching them close.. Did you know that if a mussel really tried it could move a total of 12 inches in a year?

Alright, now that the mussels are prepared let's move on..
In your large stockpot heat the oil over medium-low heat, add the garlic, leek and salt and sweat until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato and wine to the stockpot and boost the heat to medium high, once it starts simmering add the colander full of mussels.

Place the lid on and cook for 3 minutes.

Once the 3 minutes are up check to see if all of the mussels have opened, if not, give them a good stir and put the lid on for another 30-60 seconds. Check again, if need be stir again and leave them in for another 30-60 seconds. Once all the mussels are opened remove the colander and pour the mussels onto your serving dish.

Remove 8 mussel meats from their shells, put these in the stockpot with the sauce.

Use the immersion/stick blender and blend everything up in the pot until it is nice and creamy looking.

Taste as you go along, add salt/pepper, or even butter. Mine needed a bit of everything! Pour over your mussels and ENJOY!

I thought this recipe turned out GREAT! Mussels are an inexpensive (not exactly cheap) and delicious treat!

A tip to remember when purchasing your mussels is to look for a tag called a bed or lot tag that will clearly state the where when and who of the mussels, never buy them unless you can see this tag!