Although I cooked this while ago I felt compelled to dig it out today after a wonderful food experience on the weekend. We were invited to a barbecue, or rather a braai (with 3 out of 6 people South African/Zimbabwean) - now Max hadn't eaten much for 2 or 3 days, being taken ill with a tummy bug, and was only just recovering... but the smells of the burning charcoal and sizzling sausages must have got his stomach juices flowing! I had a seafood parcel, a fillet of salmon wrapped in foil with some prawns, mussels and squid, with some garlic, wine and parsley for seasoning, and Max went straight for it, eating at least half of its content, never hesitating, not even with the squid or the mussels. He thoroughly enjoyed it and I am just so glad that he can appreciate good food even at that young an age!
Now, unless I've got a creamy sauce and some really crusty bread AND have just stepped on the scales and realised to my dismay that I am still nowhere near my pre-pregnancy weight (and just why would I think I'd be, if I indulge as if there was no tomorrow and almost religiously refuse to do any exercise at all), my preferred way to consume mussels is like the Belgians do. Everybody speaks about how the French enjoy their food, but I think your average Belgian is just as indulging. Very hearty food, rustic and calorific, no matter what you eat. And if you thought you'd escape the calories by ordering seefood, think again! Since you cannot fry mussels, the only sensible thing to do is to eat them with fries! Moules avec frites, served with mayo, bien sûr!
Moules classiques
(serves 2 as a main course generously, or 4 as a starter)
2 kg mussels
50 g butter
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2 celery sticks (thinly sliced)
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1 handful parsley leaves (roughly chopped)
250 ml dry white wine
Clean the mussels, discarding any where the shell is broken or that don't close when tapping them.
Melt the butter in a large pot, fry the onion, celery and garlic until soft an starting to brown. Add the mussels and deglaze with the wine. Cover with a lid or a plate and cook until the mussels have opened up. Stir through and serve immediately, with some fries or crusty bread on the side.
This is a drooler, yummy. I went to Cannes recently and this was a definite "must have". I hate to say I am supposed to be watching my cholesterol and shellfish is a no-no but moderation is the key and every once in a while it's okay. This looks absolutely delicious.
Posted by: Gia | Aug 10, 2005 at 05:28 PM