Time to Mussel Up!

Green Curry Mussels – Grill Style

I went to the store the other day and noticed that mussels were only $1.99 a pound. I love mussels and I knew immediately that I was going to cooking them. How to make them though. So I recently went to Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria where I had green-curry mussels. Then I went home and referenced my Weber’s Way to Grill cookbook and there was a perfect recipe for grilled coconut curry mussels.

: Green Curry Mussels

Serve the mussels with a side of grilled french baguette for dipping.

Green Curry Mussels – (From Webers Way to Grill)

2 lbs of live mussels
1 large disposable foil pan
1 can coconut milk
1 tbs green curry paste
1 tbs fresh lime juice
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbs peanut oil
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
1 tbs finely chopped garlic
pinch cayenne pepper
1 baguette

If you get farm-raised mussels you do not have to soak your mussels. Rinse of the shells and go right to cooking. If you get wild mussels, you will have to remove their beards and soak them in cold salt water for at least 30 minutes. The beard is a little hairy looking offshoot that will be coming out of the shell. To remove it just pull with your fingers. It can be a little hard as the mussel does not want to let it go. Before cooking make sure to check for mussels with open or broken shells and discard. If the shell is open, the mussel is no longer alive. Also if the shell feels a lot heavier than the rest, discard it as it will be full of mud and sand.

Preheat your grill to medium and set it up for indirect heat.

Prepare all of your ingredients before going to the grill. Finely chop your garlic and ginger and set aside. Next whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, brown sugar and fish sauce.

Next place the disposable pan directly over the heat and add the peanut oil. Peanut oil has a high smoke point and is perfect for the grill. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about a minute. Then add the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil. This will probably take about 5-6 minutes.

Chewy Brownies

When mixture starts to boil carefully move the pan over indirect heat and add the mussels.

Once you have the mussels in the pan, cover the pan with aluminum foil. Cook the mussels for 8-10 minutes with the lid closed as much as possible.

While the mussels are cooking, toast some slices of a French baguette over the fire to get them crispy.

Grill the bread so it can soak up the beautiful broth

After 8 minutes peek under the foil and see if the mussels are open. If they are not, cover and cook for another couple of minutes. When the mussels open they are ready to serve. The longer you leave them over the heat after they have opened, the tougher they get.