Red Curry Mussels

Nooo not that kind of muscles!

Hi everyone. To my loyal readers, I have to apologize for not updating for this long. Life just has gotten in the way. I've been so bad that I haven't even remembered to take photos on some of dishes until after it's all served and I think oh man that would've been a good blog dish! I will try my best to do better.

Today's dish is Red Curry Mussels. And maybe you're thinking, Curry? Mussels? Not for me. But when I tell you how easy and how delicious this is, I hope you give it a go. For those in the Philly area, if you've  ever been to Monk's or Eulogy or wherever and had mussels, well I'd say these will give them a run for their money. And it's about 50% cheaper if you buy the mussels from the right place.

So first let's talk about the mussels and how to best store and then use them. There's plenty of websites that you can find on this so read until you're comfortable. You can buy mussels in the fish department of your supermarket. I bought 3 pounds from a shop in the Italian market.

It's a tiny bit of work, but you should follow the steps so you don't end up making yourself sick.

• If you're not going to use the mussels immediately, you should put them all in a large enough bowl, and cover with a damp towel that covers the entire top of the bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge, until you're ready to use. I'd personally use them that day, but I think they last for a few days (4?) in the fridge if you're careful to dump out any liquid that collects in the bottom of the bowl on a daily basis. 
• Then, 20-30 minutes before you're ready to use them  take them out of the fridge and test each mussel to see that they are not dead - and in turn deadly! Check that each mussel is shut tightly. There should be no gap visible. If there is a gap, tap it firmly. If it is ok to use, the lip will shut. If it does not shut, throw it out. If the mussel is good, put it in a large clean bowl.

• When you've checked each mussel, fill the bowl with water to cover all the mussels. Soak for 20-30 minutes.

• At the end of the 30 minutes, you will need to "de-beard" the mussel. This is a bit of seaweed type thing which has been caught in the mussel. Grab this and pull towards the hinge end of the mussel. 

 

• You may also want to give the shell a scrub with a vegetable brush. 

And that's it! You're ready to cook!

 Ingredients:

3-5 lbs fresh mussels
2  (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup white wine
2 tblsp fish sauce
2 tblsp white sugar
3 tsp salt
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tblsp red curry paste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

When you begin the cleaning process, in the meantime you'll want to start boiling your broth. 

Step 1: Combine coconut milk, lime juice, white wine, fish sauce, white sugar, salt, and garlic in a large stock pot. Bring to boil.

Note: Pick your largest pot cause the mussels will need to cook properly so you want to make sure it fits in the pot without being cramped.

Step 2: Add curry paste.

Note: You can purchase curry paste from an Asian market and maybe even the Asian food section of your supermarket. I found it at the reading terminal market at an Asian stall. Start with 1 tblsp of curry paste and taste the broth. Add more as your taste calls for. Don't add all at once, cause it's nearly impossible to bring the heat down if it's too spicy.

Step 3: When broth has come to a boil, add chopped cilantro.

Step 4: Add mussels, then cover pot and reduce to medium/low heat and let broth simmer.

 

Mussels will begin to open up as they cook. After opening, they should cook for another 5 minutes to get all the flavor from the broth

And that's it! Best served with a good Italian type crusty bread to sop up all that delicious broth.Hope you try it! Let me know how it goes!