Mussels Appetizer Recipes

MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE

Steps:

• To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand. Drain the mussels, then remove the "beard" from each with your fingers. If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren't tightly shut.
• In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes, saffron, parsley, thyme, wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
• Add the mussels, stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don't burn on the bottom. Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.

GRILLED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Scrub mussels in shells under cold running water. If present, remove beards. In an 8-quart Dutch oven combine 4 quarts cold water and 1/3 cup salt; add mussels. Soak for 15 minutes; drain and rinse. Discard water. Repeat soaking, draining, and rinsing twice.
• For sauce, in a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add wine; bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.
• Tear off a 36x18-inch piece of heavy foil; fold foil in half to make an 18-inch square. Place the mussels in the center of the foil. Bring up opposite edges of foil and seal with a double fold. Fold remaining edges together to completely enclose mussels, leaving space for steam to build.
• Place foil packet on the grill rack directly over medium-high heat; grill for 8 to 10 minutes or until shells open. Transfer mussels (discard any that do not open) and any liquid to a serving bowl.
• Transfer the sauce to small bowls for dipping. Serve mussels with sauce and, if desired, bread. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

MUSSEL APPETIZER

Steps:

• After washing the defrosted mussels with hot water, place them on the bottom of a fire proof tray. Chop the basil finely, mix it with the butter and then spread this mixture on the clams.
• Grate cheese on top, cover it with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 360°F (180 °C) for about 20 minutes. Finally, leave for a while with the lid open until the cheese turns pink.

MUSSELS ITALIANO

Steps:

• When you bring your mussels home from the market, discard any that are chipped, broken or otherwise damaged; discard any mussel that is open.
• If you are not using right away, cover with damp paper towels in a container that can be tightly closed and store in the refrigerator.
• Just before cooking, wash the mussels in several changes of cold water.
• Using a small knife or a dry towel, remove the beards by pulling out towards the hinged side of the mussel.
• To remove any remaining sand, soak mussels for about 30 minutes in cold water containing a handful of salt and a handful of flour.
• Take each mussel from the bowl and using a firm brush, remove any barnacles before placing into another bowl of clear water.
• Melt butter in a medium sized pot; saute onions til clear.
• Add garlic& stir for another minute.
• Add tomato, oregano, salt& pepper and cook until tomato is soft.
• Add wine& bring to a slow boil.
• Dry the mussels with a clean towel, place into pot, cover & steam for 4 minutes; remove the lid & stir the mussels.
• At this point, most of the mussels should be open; replace the lid and steam for another 2 - 4 minutes.
• Discard any that don't open.
• Divide into serving bowls& cover with broth.
• If you increase the serving size for this recipe, don't add too many mussels to the pot at once or stack them on top of each other as it will make it difficult for the mussels to open due to the weight.

STEAMED MUSSELS IN WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Serve in large bowls with the cooking liquid, along with plenty of crusty bread for soaking up the fragrant sauce. A separate bowl for the empty shells will also come in handy.

NEW ZEALAND MUSSELS SERVED 5 WAYS

Steps:

• thaw out New Zealand Mussels and place on cookie sheet or baking dish

APPETIZER MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a stock pot, combine the wine, juice cocktail, garlic and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and add mussels.
• Cover and continue to boil for about 4 to 6 minutes or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that haven't opened.
• Remove mussels from liquid and keep warm. Pour off liquid to leave about 1 cup. Try not to discard the garlic. Boil the 1 cup of liquid until it's reduced to about 3/4 of a cup.
• Add butter and stir until butter has melted and sauce has thickened slightly. Serve mussels with sauce.