New England Mussels

One thing that's great about living in New England is the access to delicious fresh shellfish and seafood.  You don't really get that in Nashville (where we lived before moving here).  I've only cooked with mussels once before--I made a Bouillabaisse from Magnolia's cookbook--that turned out amazingly.  This time we happened to have all the ingredients to make this recipe.  I am now convinced that you really can't go wrong cooking mussels.

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles

Recipe from Food & Wine.

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 Thai chiles, thickly sliced
1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 c. cilantro leaves
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 13 1/2-ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
Juice of 2 limes
Salt
1 11-12 oz. bottle lager
5 lbs. mussels, scrubbed

Directions
1. In a food processor, combine the garlic, chiles, ginger, cilantro, lime zest and olive oil and process to a paste; transfer to a large bowl.  Whisk in the coconut milk and lime juice and season with salt.

2. In a large soup pot, bring the lager to a boil over high heat.  Boil until reduced to 1/2 c., about 7 minutes.  Add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until the mussels just begin to open, about 4 minutes.

3. Uncover the mussels and stir in the coconut milk mixture.  Cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until all of the mussels open, about 8 minutes.  Spoon the mussels and broth into bowls and serve.

The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated overnight.

We served this with a salad made from our Farm Share produce.  Delicious!