GINGER AND COCONUT CARIBBEAN MUSSELS
This recipe really hits home, I remember my mom making this for me at such a young age. In her native Barranquilla town, she would go to the nearest seafood market and buy the freshest mussels and cook this recipe up for me! This recipe has a mild tone to the taste, you get the slight tang of the beer and lime with the creaminess of the coconut milk. The broth and the smell to this dish really hits those South American notes to the palate. I was usually served this with steamy white rice and patacones, but you can definitely serve this with any sort of side dish of your choice.
Buen Provecho!
SERVES 2-3
INGREDIENTS
2LB. Mussels [rinsed, debearded and cleaned]
2 Tablespoons of coconut oil [or oil of your liking]
1 Can of full fat coconut milk [13.53 oz - 400 ml]
2 Tablespoons of fresh ginger [peeled and chopped]
1 cup or 12- ounce bottle of beer [pale lager, blonde ale or pale ale]
4 Large garlic cloves [sliced or chopped]
1 Medium red bell pepper [sliced]
4 Large scallion stems [sliced]
½ to 1 Red fresno chile [seeded, chopped or sliced]
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Medium fresh lime [quartered]
½ Cup of whole cilantro leaves
FOR THE MUSSEL CLEANING
2 Tablespoons of baking soda
Colander or Sifter
Large rectangle bowl or regular large bowl
Gloves
HOW TO CLEAN THE MUSSELS
-Place your mussels in a bowl and in the sink and run them under cold water once, drain the water and sprinkle the tops with two tablespoons of baking soda [mix with your hands] and fill the bowl again with water. Let the baking soda and second batch of water marinate for 20 minutes. This will help get any grime and excess dirt off the mussels.
-Once the 20 minutes have passed, drain that baking soda water and run them under water again; let’s begin by debearding them.
- For the debearding start by scouting out any mussels that might have beards on all the sides. Once you find them if there are any, grab the beard and pull it firmly away from the mussel.
- Once all the mussels are debearded check for the dead ones, if the mussels are open and not willing to close again then you have a dead one; please discard that one. If you spot any broken shells or if any of them smell bad then they need to be discarded as well.
- Lastly rinse them for the last time under cold water and set them aside inside the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.
PREPARATION
-In a large pan add in your coconut oil or oil of choice and turn your stovetop to a medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up turn down your stovetop to a medium heat and add in your sliced bell pepper and chopped ginger. Sauté for a bit and add in your sliced scallions and chopped or sliced red fresno chile; sprinkle the vegetables with ½ teaspoon of salt and stir. Lastly add in your sliced or chopped garlic to the mix and stir once more until soft and fragrant this should take 2-3 minutes.
-Take out your mussels from the fridge and add them into your fragrant vegetable mix; once all the mussels are placed in the pot, carefully toss with either your tongs or spoon.
-Pour your coconut milk onto the mussels and carefully mix. Next pour in your beer to the mussel and gently stir once more with either your tongs or a spoon.
-Place the lid on top of your pan or cover with foil paper if you don’t have a pan cover and let the mussels cook and steam in that coconutty beer broth for five to seven minutes or until the mussels have opened. In between the cooking time pop open the lid and sprinkle the mussel tops with 1 ¼ teaspoons of salt; shake the pan or toss once again and pop the lid back on. Once the mussels have cooked pop open the lid and check to see if any mussels haven’t opened yet, if some are still closed please discard them.
-Lastly add in your cilantro leaf’s and squeeze the tops of your mussels with the fresh lime juice. Stir with your spoon or tongs and for the finishing touch start ladling and basting your mussels with the hot broth.
-Let’s start by evenly plating the mussels onto your plates and ladling the broth on top of the mussels. Serve immediately and enjoy!
As a child my mom would ladle and serve the mussels to me onto a plate or bowl of coconut rice or white rice. She would have patacones/tostones ready to be served with this meal and cane juice [agua panela] on the side. Oh how I miss those day!
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