Mussels
It’s fall and I still trying to get my fill of seafood. Mind you, I eat seafood all year long-- but I go in during the summer! I typically try to eat lighter during the hotter months so seafood gives me the full meal feel (veggies, meats, and possibly a starch: #oldskoolmeal) without skipping the meat.
I fell in love with mussels and raw oysters living in New England. If you ask anyone from the region, they believe they do seafood the best. The verdict is out on whether or not New England is “the best,” (no shade), but I will admit New England does know they’re way around crustaceans and other scaly water stuff. It can be as big as a outdoor boil or as simple as throwing some salmon on the grill-- they got this! And the mussels?!!! I have eaten a lot of mussels in many different forms over the last 11 years-- still love them. With papa frites, with crusty breads, with nothing at all. I love it every which way. Below you will find my go to recipe for mussels. This particular recipe is fairly basic (I have used a few different ones in the past), and I do my thang from there.
Money Matters
I spent $15 for 4 servings, or $3.75/serving. Mussels are fairly cheap, but the sausage and side(s) will bump up the price a bit.
#ROGUElyfe
You can use a different sausage-- I typically do spicy Italian or chorizo
You can also use a different type of beer as well; I poured in extra beer for more broth
Add in some tomatoes and other veggies
My Take
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, plus 1 sliced in half (optional)
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ¼ teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
16 oz of beer (I used Corona Extra)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed, debearded
Hot sauce and crusty toasted bread (for serving; optional)
Directions
Note: you do not see tomato in the recipe, because I decided to not use it...just did not want the flavor. #ROGUElyfeinaction
Heat oil in Dutch oven or a large pot over medium. Cook chorizo, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and salt, stirring frequently to break up chorizo, until onions are softened and chorizo is cooked through for about 10 minutes.
Add beer and butter; turn up the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute to reduce slightly. Add mussels, cover, and cook until mussels open, 5 to 8 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open (Note: I always do this, for fear of illness from an undercooked mussel).
I used french fries, done hard to make sure it soaks up the broth. Spoon mussels over the fries, with a good amount of brothy chorizo mixture over them. Top with cilantro and/or anything else you would like to add.
I baked some frozen fries for this one...but they were crispy! #ROGUElyfeinaction
Happy Cooking Y’all :)