Thai Steamed Mussels Recipe

I love muscles.

But I really love, love mussels.


Every time mussels are on a menu, I have to order them for an appetizer.

I love sipping the yummy sauce out of the shell, the texture of the mussels, sopping the sauce with warm bread, etc., etc. etc.

Plus, it's probably the simplest shellfish to eat. I feel like lobster and crab really make you work for your food, but mussels just open up for you before they hit your plate.

I've been dying to finally make some Thai mussels, but I've been super intimidated. Mainly because I didn't know how to "debeard" or "scrub" the mussels. Sounded like so much work! Other than debearding the mussels, the directions looked really easy, but I feel like until I see someone else do it then I really know what I'm doing.

This would be where helpful how-to YouTube videos come in handy.

I found this great video that quickly shows how to debeard a mussel, clean a mussel, and how to tell if it's alive or dead.



I especially found this video helpful because it demonstrates how to determine if a mussel is alive or dead. Dead mussels are the ones that are already open when you buy them at the grocery store. If they won't close, they're dead and a health hazard to eat.

This meal really couldn't have been easier to make. All I had to do was toss all the ingredients into a stock pot, bring it to a boil and then add the mussels.

Voila!



I found the original recipe on AllRecipes (like always) but made a few tweaks to the amount of ingredients.

Thai Steamed Mussels Recipe

Serves 2
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

- 2.5 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 5/8 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tbsp dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp Asian fish sauce
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

- In a large stock pot, combine the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and curry paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes then add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels are opened, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Pour mussels and liquid into a serving dish and toss with cilantro.

-----

Question

Do you like mussels? Have a favorite type of shellfish? Any recipe suggestions?!