Mussels are edible bivalve molluscs native to Southeast Asia and Europe. Delicious and healthy mussel meat is rich in proteins, fats and carbohydrates. There are many dishes using mussels, but the secrets of the taste lie in the correct combination with other ingredients.
Secrets of Cooking Mussels
Mussels can be used to make salads, pasta, risottos, soups, soufflés, etc., but before that you need to choose the right shellfish, and also know what products seafood is best combined with.
Mussels come to Russia mainly frozen. You can buy mussels in a whole shell, in a half shell, or in ready-made fillets, depending on your taste and the dish in which you will use them. Make sure the mussels are not too frozen. In addition, high-quality molluscs should not have yellow streaks, which indicates that they have been thawed and frozen many times. Fresh mussels should not have an unpleasant odor.
Shellfish meat should be voluminous, light and firm. A black fillet is a sign of spoilage in seafood. If you buy mussels in brine, then it should be free of mold and clots.
Defrost seafood at home and start cooking right away. It is necessary to subject the mussels to heat treatment no more than 3-5 minutes, otherwise they may lose their taste and become dryish. White wine will help you to add flavor to the mussels, which can be used to season dishes with these clams. Also, lemon juice perfectly sets off the taste of meat.
Choose olive oil as a sauce for mussels, which must be mixed with lemon juice, garlic and herbs. Mussels are combined to taste with vegetables, meat and other seafood.
Fried mussels
This dish is very simple to prepare, but great in taste. You will need:
- 500 g of mussels;
- onions - 2 pcs.;
- salt, ground pepper (to taste);
- spices and seasonings for seafood;
- vegetable oil (for frying).
Peel the onions, cut into small cubes and fry in a frying pan in a little vegetable oil until golden brown. In the meantime, defrost the mussels. Then add seafood to the onion and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir the contents of the pan constantly.
Before turning off the pan, salt the dish, add hot ground pepper and seafood seasoning. For mussels, it is best to use Provencal herbs. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the seafood steep for a while under the lid closed. Fried mussels can be served as an independent dish, as well as with a side dish in the form of rice or potatoes.
Mussel risotto
Indulge your homemade gourmet Italian food. You will need:
- 200 g of rice;
- 200 g of mussels;
- 100 g of pickled mushrooms;
- 100 ml of dry white wine;
- 500 ml of chicken broth;
- 2 tbsp. l. olive oil;
- onions - 1 pc.:
- garlic - 1 clove;
- salt, pepper (to taste);
- hard cheese (to taste).
Defrost the mussels. Heat a frying pan and pour in a little olive oil, in which you need to fry the mussels for 3-5 minutes. In the meantime, cut the champignons into large slices, pour into the pan and fry for another 5 minutes. Do not forget to add salt and ground pepper to taste.
Take a special frying pan for preparing risotto, heat the olive oil in it and fry the garlic, crushed with a garlic press. Remove the garlic from the pan. Take the washed and dried rice and place it in the pan, then fry so that it becomes slightly transparent. Pour in white wine and evaporate until liquid evaporates. Now you need to pour in 100 ml chicken broth. Pour in the broth, stir, wait for the rice to absorb the broth, and then add a new batch. You need to cook rice for about 25 minutes, it should not be boiled.
5 minutes before the rice is ready, add the thawed mussels and mushrooms, salt and pepper again. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the risotto with finely chopped basil and grated cheese of your choice before serving.
