An Asian Mussel Stew, Irresistibly Quick and Easy.
This Asian Mussel Stew is light, yet packed full of flavour. I love mussels and this is one of the best ways of enjoying them. Its full-on flavour, and not expensive, so, what’s not to like?
The west coast of Scotland is known for its seafood. And we are lucky enough to have three of the best fish restaurants within a short drive. The Pierhouse Hotel Port Appin, The Crannog Fort William, and the Loch Leven Seafood Café.
Take a table at any of these and all around will be tucking into, crab, lobster, and oysters not to mention every type of wet fish imageable. So, with all this fantastic seafood on the doorstep what do I crave? A nice big bowl of mussels! Don’t get me wrong I’ll eat all the others as well but for sheer simplicity and depth of flavour you can’t beat a bowl of the rich blue / black shells.
Don’t be shy of Mussels.
Go French for some Moules Mariniere, Belgian for Moules Frites, or perhaps a Tuscan seafood stew. One of my favourites is to go Asian, adding some of the flavours of the east to the saltiness of the mussels works fantastically well. Do give this a try, don’t be put off by the stages, its quick to make and a cheap treat. Be sure to have plenty of crisp crusty bread to dip into the juices.
How to clean mussels.
Most of the mussels available in the shops are farmed, which is fine as they are a lot cleaner that foraged mussels. They are also a lot safer as farmed mussels are checked for contaminates such as chemical or biological products.
Washing Mussels.
Dredged mussels can be quite dirty. Its best to soak the shellfish for 20 minutes in a saltwater bath. Remember they are a sea creature and not accustomed to fresh water. Use about 35g of salt diluted into cold water as a bath. As the mussels relax dirt will be expelled from the shell.
Farmed mussels are pretty clean but they will still need a rinse and check over before use. There are a few ‘old wives’ tales about dealing with mussels. Have a look at the F.A Qs at the end of this blog where I’ll do some myth-busting.
Place the mussels in a colander and run cold water over them. A small stiff brush will help remove any stubborn seaweed, and the back of a knife is ideal to knock off nay barnacles remaining on the shell. using your hands or a clean scrubbing brush to rub off any debris like seaweed, sand, barnacles, or mud spots that could be on the shell. If you find any mussels with open shells, lightly tap that mussel against the side of the sink. If the mussel closes up again in response to this turmoil, it’s alive. Should it not move, discard it.
Removing the ‘Beard’
The “beard” of a mussel is the clump of hair-like fibres that sprouts from the flat side of the shell. Often farm-raised mussels will come debearded, but even so you’ll want to check that there aren’t some pesky ones hanging on. To remove the beard from the mussels, grab it with your thumb and forefinger and tug it toward the hinge of the mussel shell. You can also use a knife to gently scrape away the beard.
Once your mussels are cleaned and debearded, they’re ready to cook and eat.
You will need.
- Large bowl to clean the mussels.
- Large pan, or wok, with a lid to cook the mussels.
- Heatproof spatula
- Ladle
- Chopping board and knife
Asian Mussel Stew, ingredients
Stage 1
- 500ml fresh chicken stock (must be fresh not cube)
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 70g carrot
- 50g white of leek
- 1med red chilli
- 2tsp Thai fish sauce
- 1 stick lemongrass (bottom 100mm)
- 3 thin slices of fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 green peppercorns
Stage 2
- 500g fresh mussels
- 120ml rich coconut milk
- 1 lime (zest and juice)
- 4tsp chopped fresh coriander
- 4tsp basil leaves
Asian Mussel Stew – Stage one.
Take the washed and peeled, carrot and leek and cut into very fine strips. Place the strips on a plate, then cut the ginger into thin strips as well. Add the ginger, and lime leaves to the plate, then using a fine grater zest the lime over the top of the vegetables. Cut the lime in half and place on the plate. Deseed the chilli, and cut the flesh into small dice, adding to the plate as well.
Using a small dish or mortar and pestle crush the peeled garlic and green peppercorns together. Put the dish next to the plate ready to be used in the next stage.
By doing this we have everything ready to hand when it comes to cooking the mussels.
Clean the outer leaves of the lemongrass and split the stalk lengthways. Lightly bruise the two haves with the back of the knife then place onto a pan with the chicken stock. Make sure the pan is large enough to take all of the mussels with plenty of room left for expansion. Add the lime leaves and fish sauce then put the pan over a good heat.
Asian Mussel Stew – Stage two.
When the pan has simmered for a couple of minutes, add the contents of the vegetables plate. then return the pan to the boil.
Give the mussels one last rinse then as the stock comes up to the boil, throw in the mussels. Whack on the lid making sure the heat is as high as it will go.
Let the pan boil for a couple of minutes, then have a peek under the lid. If the mussels have opened up, they are cooked, you can remove the lid and turn down the heat.
If they haven’t opened yet, put the lid back down and keep cooking rapidly. Give them one more minute then remove the lid and lower the heat.
Add the coconut milk, lime zest and juice, and chopped herbs, and you’re done!
Asian Mussel Stew – serving.
Have a taste of the stock and add more Thai fish sauce and lime juice if needed. Check any mussels you’re not happy with, and if you’re not sure discard them.
Lift out the lemongrass, then ladle the mussels and stock into deep bowls and serve. Have plenty of crusty bread on hand to soak up all the juices.
N.B.
There is quite a lot of really tasty stock served in this dish. In the past, to make it more refined I have served some of the stock on the side in expresso cups. This makes it a little less messy to eat and will allow your guests to savour the juices on their own.
F.A.Qs.
Are farmed Mussels safer than wild/dredged ones?
Mussels are in a group of shellfish known as bivalves. Oysters, Clams, Cockles, and Scallops also fall into this category. They are filter feeders, meaning that they filter out the nutrients that they need from the water they live in. This can also mean that they can filter out any pollutants or bacteria in the water as well. The constant filtration process means that the level of pollutant in the shellfish can be many times higher than the water they live in.
I would never gather shellfish off the beach and then just cook them. It may be very romantic, but you have no way of knowing if they are safe or not. Illnesses you can obtain from mussels include vibriosis, norovirus, and paralytic shellfish poisoning, otherwise known as PSP.
Commercially sold mussels must go through a decontamination process and be sample checked before going on sale. So don’t worry it perfectly safe to eat mussels you have bought. I like to use the farmed versions as thy tend to be cleaner, and less work.
Should I throw away any mussels that are open when I get them home?
Not necessarily, this is often mentioned because if a mussel dies the shell will open itself, and the golden rule is that shellfish MUST be alive when cooked!
The resting state of a mussel underwater is to be open. Closing the shell is defensive such as protecting themselves from drying out at low tide. When kept cool and moist sometimes they open up. This can mean that you might be wasting good shellfish, checking is simple. Take the mussel that is open and smartly tap the shell on the side of the pan. If the shell begins to close, its fine to use. If not discard it.
Is it true that I should discard and mussels that have not opened when cooked?
The shell of the mussel has a spring-loaded hinge that wants to keep the shell open.
Within the body of the mussel is a circular tendon that closed the shell when needed. During cooking, this tendon usually releases itself and the spring opens the shell. Occasionally the tendon stays intact, and the shells stays closed.
Any cooked mussels with closed shells can be checked by giving the two sides a quick twist, if the shell opens and the meat looks ok it fine to use.
But remember, When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
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