Mussels are a tasty seafood that can be cooked in different ways: steamed, in boiling water, grilled, baked, etc. They are excellent eaten alone, perhaps accompanied by French fries or toasted bread, or incorporated into a fish dish. If you want to know how to prepare and cook mussels, all you have to do is read this precious article.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Prepare the Mussels
Step 1. Buy mussels from your trusted fish shop
Make sure you only buy live mussels that appear tightly closed. Remove any shells that have opened on the way home. Remember that mussels that remain closed despite cooking must not be eaten, in fact they were probably already dead at the time of purchase and must therefore be thrown away.
Step 2. Rinse them individually carefully under cold running water
Brush the shells to get rid of encrustations, algae or any other unwanted 'guests'.
Step 3. Eliminate the algae
To get rid of the filamentous algae sticking out of the mussel, grab it between your index finger and thumb and move from side to side with a firm tug.
Method 2 of 5: Steamed Mussels
Step 1. Prepare the ingredients
Here's what you need:
- 1, 8 kg of Mussels
- 30 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 chopped shallot
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 120 ml of dry white wine
- 1 squeezed lemon
- 240 ml of broth
Step 2. Pour the stock and spices into a large pot
Pour 120 ml of dry white wine and 240 ml of chicken broth into the saucepan. Pour 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a separate pan and sauté the shallot, garlic and thyme for about 2-3 minutes. Then pour them into the stock pot.
Step 3. Add the mussels and cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes or until most of them are open
Remove any mussels that remain closed, which indicates their death prior to cooking.
Step 4. Filter and store the cooking liquid
Step 5. Serve them
Accompany them with a slice of lemon after having seasoned them with the desired amount of cooking liquid. You can add French fries or a few slices of toast to your plate.
Method 3 of 5: Grilled Mussels
Step 1. Prepare the ingredients
Here's what you need for this recipe:
- 1, 3 kg of mussels already cleaned
- 55 g of Butter
- 30 g of chopped fresh parsley
- 2 lemons cut in half
- Salt to taste.
- Pepper as needed.
Step 2. Heat a grill over medium-high heat
Clean and grease it lightly.
Step 3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat
Heat the butter and then remove it from the heat. Incorporate the chopped parsley, mix and then set aside.
Step 4. Arrange the mussels, rinsed and scrubbed, on the grid, forming a single layer
If necessary, complete this process several times, so as not to overcrowd the grill during cooking; it is important that the mussels are distributed on a single layer.
Step 5. Place 2 halved and lightly greased lemons on the grid
Face the cut side down.
Step 6. Grill the mussels for about 5 minutes, until they open
At this point the lemons should be warm and toasted.
Step 7. Transfer the open mussels to a large serving dish
Use the pliers to do this. Throw away any that are still closed if there are any - they were already dead before cooking began.
Step 8. Pour the herb butter over the mussels
Finally, season them with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9. Serve
Pair your delicious grilled mussels with lemons and enjoy them while they are still hot.
Method 4 of 5: Baked Mussels
Step 1. Prepare the necessary ingredients
Here's the list:
- 900 g of mussels already cleaned
- 55 g of whole almonds
- 50 g of Butter
- 22 g of chopped shallots
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 90 ml of dry white wine
- 15 ml of fresh lemon juice
- 20 g of chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 g of fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 10 g of freshly chopped chervil leaves
- Salt to taste.
- Pepper as needed.
- Slices of crusty bread as an accompaniment to the table
Step 2. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C
Step 3. Toast the whole almonds
Spread them on a baking sheet creating a single uniform layer. Place the pan in the oven and roast the almonds until they are fragrant; this will take about five minutes.
Step 4. Chop the almonds
Let them cool and then chop them by hand or using a food processor.
Step 5. Heat a large cast iron pot over medium heat
Add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt it for at least thirty seconds.
Step 6. Incorporate the shallot and garlic
Pour the garlic and chopped shallots into the saucepan and cook it in the butter until they become translucent; it will take about 2-3 minutes.
Step 7. Also add the wine and lemon juice and bring the ingredients to a boil
Add 6 tablespoons of dry white wine and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the pot, then remove the pot from the heat as soon as the mixture begins to boil.
Step 8. Pour the herbs and almonds into the pan
Add the chopped parsley, thyme leaves and chervil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 9. Bring the oven temperature to 230 ° C
Step 10. Arrange the mussels in an ovenproof dish
Make sure they have been rinsed and cleaned of the algae and spread them into the dish creating no more than two even layers.
Step 11. Put the remaining butter on the mussels
Cut it into small pieces and distribute it evenly over the shells.
Step 12. Roast the mussels in the oven until they open
Turn them to season them evenly every 3-4 minutes; at the end of cooking the mussels must have opened and the sauce must have assumed a rich and creamy consistency.
Step 13. Serve them
Serve the mussels immediately on their own or accompany them with bread to fully enjoy the sauce.
Method 5 of 5: Stir-fry
Step 1. Prepare the ingredients
Here is the list of what you need:
- 1, 3 kg of Mussels
- 5 minced garlic cloves
- 30 ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 55 g of fresh minced mint
- 55 g of Basil
- 20 g of shallots
- 1 diced red pepper
- 15 ml of fish sauce
- 15ml canola oil
- 15 g of sugar
- Pepper as needed.
Step 2. Rub and rinse the mussels and remove the goatee
Then, drain the excess water.
Step 3. Slice the shallot into slices of about 2 cm
Step 4. Julienne a red pepper
Slice it into thin strips.
Step 5. Mix the fish sauce, sugar and pepper
Create a sauce by combining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar and pepper to taste.
Step 6. Fry the minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for 30 seconds in a large skillet over high heat
Step 7. Add the mussels and let them cook over high heat for 3-5 minutes, until they start to open
Step 8. Incorporate the sauce prepared earlier and continue cooking until all the mussels have opened
Throw away any that eventually remain closed.
Step 9. Add the mint, basil, shallots and red pepper strips and sauté the ingredients for a couple of minutes
Stir and cook by mixing the new ingredients with the previous ones.
Step 10. Ready
Serve the mussels alone or with jasmine rice.
Advice
- Make a sauce with butter, white wine and lemon and pour it over the mussels, if you wish you can also season them with a little Greek feta. Get some good bread because making the shoe, in this case, is a must.
- One of the most famous recipes is that of marinara mussels. It is prepared with a base of butter and chopped shallots to which flour is added to create a thick sauce. Once the sauce is ready, add the mussels and some good white wine and let it cook. Before serving, they should be sprinkled with chopped parsley.
