Garlic Butter Mussels
Before the global obsession on anything salted egg, people were so enamoured with anything garlic butter. Shrimp is probably the first thing that comes to mind when we speak of a garlic butter dish, but it’s actually so versatile that you can flavor anything with it. For today’s recipe, let me share with you my simple but very delicious Garlic Butter Mussels.
Mussels are cheap and very easy to work with. They typically have been pre-washed when you get them from the market, so scrubbing the shells for any sand, seaweed and other ocean debris is often unnecessary. What I do is to just give the mussels a quick rinse, and then I give the beard a sturdy pinch with my thumb and index finger and pull it off. You may use a paring knife to do this, though if your kitchen skills are as amateur-ish as mine, it’s better to rely on the sheer strength of your fingers to avoid hurting yourself. *smile smile*
Unlike when making Garlic Butter Shrimp, I cook the mussels separately as they can be watery. I put them in a pan with ginger under medium heat for around five minutes and then drain any excess liquid. The ginger will get rid of its stenchy, fishy smell inherent to many seafood.
From here, it’s a matter of cooking garlic in delicious butter and tossing in the cooked mussels. You will then have Garlic Butter Mussels in no time!
To keep the ingredients at the bare minimum, I use salted butter to do away with the extra step of seasoning the dish. Also, I skip the lemons, white wine and parsley that are quintessential to a mussel dish.
My Garlic Butter Mussels is served best alongside a good glass of wine, some crusty bread, or because we’re Pinoy, a bowl of hot, steamed rice. Enjoy!
Garlic Butter Mussels
Ingredients
- 500 grams mussels
- 1 thumb ginger
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 head garlic
Instructions
- Julienne the ginger and finely pound the garlic with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Prepare the seafood: Quickly rinse the mussels and debeard each by pulling the strands off with your fingers or a paring knife. Place them in a pan with the ginger under medium heat and cook for five minutes until the shells open. Drain any excess liquid and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a pan under medium low heat. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes until fragrant but not brown. Add in the cooked mussels and toss for a minute or two until each piece is coated by the garlic butter mixture.
- Serve immediately with a glass of wine, a big slice of crusty bread, or steamed rice.
As with many other food bloggers out there, I am no chef. I come with no culinary training whatsoever, and so it’s not at all surprising that my kitchen adventures are punctuated by frequent mishaps and blunders. Yet, there are recipes that I seem to make much better than others. And so, after years of prodding from family and friends, here I am, sharing the little that I know.
Why “gourmand,” you ask? Simply because I like making and eating good food. I can eat a lot, too—so there you go!