Steamed Mussels

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Wash all the mussels, and scrub them if they seem at all gritty. Scrape away any beard. Chop up the shallots, toss them into a large heavy pot, and pour in the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, to reduce the wine slightly, then dump in all the mussels. Cover the pot, and cook over brisk heat until all the shells have opened (if any have remained firmly shut after the rest have opened, discard them). Dish up into a warm bowl as many mussels as your healthy appetite dictates, scatter a small handful of chopped parsley over them, and spoon most of the liquid on top.

   Step 2

   Shell the remaining mussels, and pack them and the broth tightly in a refrigerator container, reserving about a dozen handsome shells.

2. Second Round: Chinese Style

   Step 3

   I got the idea for these seasonings out of Ken Hom’s engaging book Easy Family Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood. He remembers how his family enjoyed this treat, using chopsticks and accompanying the mussels with a bowl of rice. So, if you want to do the same, get the rice going first (see page 169). Pour the liquid from the remaining mussels into a small pot; you’ll want about 1/2 cup; if you haven’t enough add some light chicken broth to make it up. Cut a medium clove of garlic into slivers, and scatter them into the liquid. Grate some fresh ginger—about 1/2 teaspoon—directly into the pot, stir in 1/2 teaspoon good curry powder, a splash of dry sherry, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, and a generous pinch of sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for a few minutes, then fold in most of the remaining mussels (you want to reserve eight to twelve, depending on their size, for the third round). Simmer just long enough to heat the mussels, then spoon them over a serving of warm rice. Sprinkle on a chopped scallion and a tablespoon or so of chopped cilantro or parsley.

3. Third Rounds: On the Half Shell with Dressing

   Step 4

   I like to have the remaining mussels bathed in a chilled sauce and returned to their shells. It makes a nice offering if someone stops by for a drink, or just to enjoy alone. Prepare a vinaigrette with 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, a large pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add about 1/4 red pepper cut into small dice, 2 chopped scallions, 1/2 hard-boiled egg, chopped, and a couple of tablespoons chopped parsley (if you have some tarragon, that’s good, too). Marinate the reserved mussels in this sauce for an hour or so, or even overnight. Spoon the mussels into the reserved shells; you may want to use two mussels, if they are very small, per shell. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over them. Eat by just sucking the mussel from the shell into your mouth.

4. À L’escargot

   Step 5

   Sometimes I prefer my mussels in the shell warm instead of chilled. Recently I noticed them on a bistro menu in Paris served in escargot butter, and I ordered them. They came on an escargot plate, swimming in heady garlic butter, and they were scrumptious—better than snails usually are. So, of course, I’ve been doing them that way chez moi ever since.

   Step 6

   For the escargot butter: Mash 2 tablespoons butter with 1 fat clove of garlic and 1 shallot, both finely minced, then dried by squeezing them in a towel. Add pepper to taste, and work in about 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Then all you need do is tuck one or two mussels, depending on their size, into the indentation in the escargot plate, and top it with about 1/2 teaspoon of the snail butter. Fill up as much of the snail plate as you like, and pop into a 400° oven, cooking until the contents are hot and bubbling—about 5 minutes. If you have any leftover snail butter, it’s good on any kind of fish or seafood, and even vegetables. Make double the quantity the next time if you find it’s something you want to have handy. You can freeze it, too.