Now is peak season for Mussels (it runs from October to March) we have some fantastic wild mussels from Cornwall in the shop right now. This spicy mussels recipe has lovely Asian flavours with coconut, lemongrass, chillis and ginger.

Preparing Mussels

First wash, scrub and de-beard the mussels. (These “Beards” are small brown threads that can be found sticking out from the joint between the two shell halves. The are the remains of the animals tethering system that attaches it to a rock or other underwater surface. Pull the beard hard towards the hinge or more pointed end of the mussel. Remove it completely and throw away.)

While you are cleaning look for any open shells, if you find one tap it on your work top – any that do not close when tapped should be discarded. If you are not ready to cook right away put the cleaned mussels in a fresh bowl of cold water until ready to use. You might want to change this water to remove any salt or sand that comes out of the mussels.

Ingredients For Spicy Mussels With Coconut

thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled
2 cloves garlic
large handful fresh coriander
1 stick lemongrass, roughly chopped
2 red or green chillis, deseeded
1 tsp turmeric
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 tin coconut milk
sunflower (or vegetable/nut) oil
500g fresh mussels from Walter Purkis & Sons
Zest and juice of a lime (plus extra lime wedges for serving)

Cooking Method For Spicy Mussels With Coconut

Prepare you mussels as above.

Next make up a spice paste using the ginger, lemongrass, coriander (you can use the stalks too), garlic and chillies. Chop by hand or pulse in a food processor or hand blender, a sturdy pestle and mortar will also do the job. Reserve some coriander leaves for garnish.

Heat the oil in a wok, then add two sliced red onions and fry for a minute over a high heat. Then add the paste stir and cook for a few minutes more.

Now tip in the coconut milk, bring to the boil and add the lime zest followed by the cleaned mussels.

Cook with a lid on for about 5 minutes, or until the mussels open. Add a squeeze of lime and stir.

Serve in bowls garnished with the remaining coriander and a wedge of lemon.

This spicy mussels with coconut recipe come from the Fish is the Dish website where you can find this and lots of other fishy recipes.