Mussels Recipes

Ingredients

48 mussels in shells (approx. 2 dozen mussels per pound)

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons basil

1 cup white wine

Directions

1. Rinse and debeard the mussels.
2. Place parsley, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, and wine in a large saucepan. Add the mussels.
3. Cover the saucepan with a tight lid and steam the ingredients on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until the mussel shells open.
4. Agitate the pan during this time to cook the mussels evenly.
5. Serve hot.

Recipe credit: Oregon Sea Grant

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Ingredients

2 pounds mussels

8 ounces smoked sablefish (black cod)

Garlic, to taste

A drizzle of olive oil

Summer vegetables, such as fresh fennel bulb, sungold tomatoes, green beans, new potatoes, little gem lettuce, and beets.

White wine, to taste

1 cup of your favorite recipe for aioli

Directions

1. Steam the mussels in white wine and garlic. Pull  the cooked mussels out of the shell and store in the cooking liquid in the fridge to cool.
2. Blanch the green beans, boil or steam your potatoes until tender. Do the same for the beets, but stopping a touch early so they still have a little crunch to them.
3. Slice all the vegetables except the tomatoes and green beans and keep them in the fridge to stay cold.
4. Pull the mussels from the liquid and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and fresh black pepper.
5. Assemble the mussels, smoked sablefish, and vegetables on a large platter and serve alongside your favorite recipe for aioli.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Renee Erickson, co-owner of Sea Creatures Restaurants.

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Ingredients

Mussels Gratin

1 medium leek, whites finely sliced (reserve trim)

½ of a medium fennel bulb, cored and finely sliced (reserve trim)

1 celery stalk, finely sliced (reserve trim)

1 garlic clove, finely sliced

4 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of cream

2 pounds of blue mussels

½ cup of white wine (Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay)

1 small bag or box of panko

1 teaspoon thyme

Salt

Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

¼ cup of panko breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon of thyme, stripped from the stem and chopped

1 teaspoon of fennel fronds, stripped from the stem and chopped

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Steam the Mussels

1. Wash and de-Biss the mussels. Discard any broken or dead mussels.
2. In a medium pot or steep-sided pan, heat 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and add the reserved leek greens and fennel and celery trim. Cook until tender and lightly caramelized.
3. Add the wine and mussels, cover and steam for 4 minutes.
4. Transfer the mussel mixture to a strainer/colander over a medium bowl and allow to cool.
5. Once cool, remove the mussels from their shells and transfer the leftover liquid to a tall narrow vessel. Reserve the mussels and discard the shells.

Mussels Gratin

1. Heat a 12–14 inch pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and the thinly-sliced leeks, fennel, and celery. Cook until softened, reducing the heat if browning occurs. 
2. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the wine, cooking until reduced.
3. Add the cream, bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce until thickened.
4. Add the reserved mussels and gently reheat them. Adjust seasoning with salt and consistency with the reserved mussel broth. Be cautious not to add any sediment from the bottom of the reserved mussel broth.
5. Serve from the pan or transfer to warmed serving dishes. Top generously with the brown butter breadcrumbs recipe below.

Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

1. Heat a saute pan over medium-low heat and add the butter. Cook until the butter stops foaming.
2. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned.
3. Add in the chopped thyme and cook while stirring for 15 seconds.
4. Remove from heat and add the lemon zest, fennel, and salt to taste.
5. If adding cheese, allow the mixture to cool before mixing it in.

Recipe by Chef Robert Dumas, in collaboration with the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center as part of their Farmers MAI-Kit cooking demonstration series.

Ingredients

3 quarts cleaned mussels, steamed open

4 cups hot mussel broth

3 cups rice

⅓ cup minced onion

2 large garlic cloves

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon saffron

1 cup green peas

12 thin slices of hard Portuguese sausage

1 pimento cut into strips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a traditional paellero pan, you can use a large shallow casserole dish with a lid to cook and serve the paella.
2. Drain the mussels after cooking them and retain the liquid. Remove half of the mussels from their shells and keep the others hot in their half-shells with a little cooking liquid in a pot on the side. 
3. Sauté the onion and garlic until lightly colored. Remove the garlic and add the rice. Stir over moderate heat, until slightly brown.
4. While the rice is browning, heat the mussel broth with the saffron until it becomes yellow, and then add the liquid to the rice and onion mixture and stir.
5. Add the peas, sausage, and mussels that were removed from their shells, folding it all into the rice with a wooden spoon (this will be more like tossing a quick salad so as not to mash the ingredients).
6. Cover and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or when the rice has absorbed all of the broth.
7. Before serving, arrange the mussels that were left in their half-shells in a crown on the rice, the shell side in the rice, and garnish the center with strips of pimento.

Recipe courtesy of 1977 New Hampshire Sea Grant cookbook for industry, adapted from Sarah Hurlburt.

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