Thread: Mussels

In article <1iprekk.nyqpra1ibmzl4N%[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Victor Sack) wrote:

> On Saturday, I bought a 1 kg package of nice Dutch mussels, cleaned,
> de-bearded and vacuum-packed in sea water. Debearded mussels must be
> consumed as soon as possible, as they cannot live for very long. So, I
> cooked them the same day, even though the use-by date was next
> Wednesday. I used a combination of a Rhineland recipe, with onions,
> garlic and juniper berries, and, in addition, sauce Poulette with egg
> yolks and crème fraîche (a very nice but expensive d'Isigny brand). The
> cooking liquid resulted in a very tasty broth.
>
> Mussels
>
> 2 large egg yolks
> 12.5 cl (1/2 cup) crème fraîche
> 1 kg (2.2 pounds) fresh mussels
> 1 medium-sized onion, finely minced
> 59 g (1.8 ounces) butter
> 2 cloves fresh, still soft garlic, finely minced
> 1 fresh bay leaf
> 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
> 5 juniper berries
> 250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine (Sauvignon blanc in this case)
> 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 1 teaspoon salt

Sounds tasty. The only mussels I can get around here are frozen.
--
Peace! Om

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive." -- Dalai Lama

The message <1iprekk.nyqpra1ibmzl4N%[email protected]>
from [email protected] (Victor Sack) contains these words:


Thanks Victor that sounds wonderful. In summer we pick fresh wild
mussels here.

Janet (Isle of Arran Scotland)


> On Saturday, I bought a 1 kg package of nice Dutch mussels, cleaned,
> de-bearded and vacuum-packed in sea water. Debearded mussels must be
> consumed as soon as possible, as they cannot live for very long. So, I
> cooked them the same day, even though the use-by date was next
> Wednesday. I used a combination of a Rhineland recipe, with onions,
> garlic and juniper berries, and, in addition, sauce Poulette with egg
> yolks and crème fraîche (a very nice but expensive d'Isigny brand). The
> cooking liquid resulted in a very tasty broth.

> Mussels

> 2 large egg yolks
> 12.5 cl (1/2 cup) crème fraîche
> 1 kg (2.2 pounds) fresh mussels
> 1 medium-sized onion, finely minced
> 59 g (1.8 ounces) butter
> 2 cloves fresh, still soft garlic, finely minced
> 1 fresh bay leaf
> 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
> 5 juniper berries
> 250 ml (1 cup) dry white wine (Sauvignon blanc in this case)
> 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
> 1 teaspoon salt

> Combine the egg yolks and crème fraîche in a small bowl, and whisk
> until well blended. Set aside.

> Rinse the mussels carefully (not really necessary in this case), then
> let them lie in water for a while, shedding any sand (they did not shed
> any sand in this case). Wash them again in running water, using a stiff
> brush (not really necessary in this case). Throw away any that remain
> open (I had to throw out two, because the shells were broken).

> Melt the butter in a non-reactive large skillet over medium heat. Add
> the onions and cook very slowly until soft, about 15 minutes. Add the
> thyme, juniper berries, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and
> bring to boil over high heat. Add the mussels and cook, covered,
> stirring from time to time, 3 to 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that
> remain closed (none did).

> Remove from the heat and stir in the crème-fraîche-and-egg-yolk mixture,
> bathing the mussels in the sauce. Reheat the sauce gently, without
> boiling.

> Serve the mussels in the broth, with black rye bread or pumpernickel,
> and butter.

> Victor

Janet Baraclough wrote:
>
> Thanks Victor that sounds wonderful. In summer we pick fresh wild
> mussels here.

Around here, the beaches are posted with warnings
that the mussels may be toxic. It's certainly
true that mussels and clams may be rendered toxic
by blooms of certain species of toxic algae,
such as the ones that create "red tide". But I've
never heard of a red tide or a bloom of toxic
algae around here. I suspect the signs are more
to protect the ecosystem than the public.

Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote:

> In summer we pick fresh wild mussels here.

Not in the "R" months?

Victor