Stuffed mussels - a recipe that will become a real boon for lovers of juicy and healthy delicacies. Delicate and nutritious shellfish meat will add a touch of sophistication to any festive dish, including New Year's. The product is rich in iodine, proteins, and low in fat. Salads with mussels are unusually good, or you can stuff the sea inhabitants with a delicious mixture of nuts, crab meat, cheese, vegetables and herbs.
Frozen mussels: the right choice and preparation
You can cook stuffed mussels really tasty, but it is important to choose a quality product. Recipes with seafood are the best fit for the New Year and any holiday.
Helpful hints:
- Quality frozen mussels are sold under a thin ice coating that preserves the flavor and value of the product. Mollusks should not freeze up in a lump, lie in the snow - this is a sign of repeated freezing.
- The mussels in the shells must be intact, without cracks.
- To cook juicy and healthy seafood, it is important to defrost it slowly: hold it in the refrigerator compartment, then let the ice completely thaw at room temperature.
- Rinse the mussels thoroughly, as sand can get into the food, then discard in a colander and let the water drain.
- Keep the clams in boiling water for 4-7 minutes, remove the opening shells with a slotted spoon. To make the mussels more aromatic and tasty, you can add lemon juice to the blanching water.
How to stuff mussels
To cook stuffed mussels, you will need the following set of products:
- large mollusks in shells - 25-30 pcs.;
- crab meat - 30 g;
- hard cheese - 100 g;
- peeled walnuts - 0.5 cups;
- garlic - 3 teeth;
- tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
- dill - a thin bunch;
- mayonnaise - 4 tablespoons;
- olive oil - 25 ml;
- fresh lettuce leaves.
Start cooking the minced mussels by frying the chopped nuts in a dry skillet. Grind hard cheese on the finest grater, pass the garlic through a garlic press. Combine cooled nuts with cheese and garlic mass and mayonnaise. Chop the crab meat into small cubes, then mix with chopped dill.
Now you can stuff the mussels. Break off one of the shells, leave the meat in the second half. Slice up each mussel and fill with the filling. The last layer will be a mixture of crab meat and dill. Line a large, pretty dish with rinsed dry crispy lettuce leaves and place the stuffed mussels in the center.
Rinse the tomatoes, dry and chop into circles. Place the slices gently on the olive oil, heated in a skillet. Fry the tomatoes for one minute on each side, then cool and place on a platter around the stuffed mussels. Garnish the vegetables with chopped dill and whole sprigs of herbs. Serve seafood with dry wine or Brut champagne.
Helpful Hint: You can cook minced mussels by replacing crab meat with crab sticks.
Interesting facts about mussels
- Archaeologists have established that people have been eating mussels since the Neolithic era.
- The global turnover of the delicacy in the modern world is more than 1.5 million tons per year.
- The protein content in mussels is higher than in fish and veal, while the seafood is low in calories.
- 100 g of shellfish contains 25% daily value of vitamin E.
- The unofficial capital of seafood, its world exchange is the fishing village of Erseke (Netherlands), where Mussel Day is celebrated every summer.
