Sam the Cooking Guy


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send to friend | print Steamed Mussels

Serves 4

Here's the deal - mussels may look like a bunch of work, but they're really not. This recipe is only about 15 minutes from start to finish. And once you get the hang of them, you'll make 'em again and again. Plus they look totally impressive when served.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds fresh mussels
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cloves, garlic
  • 1/2 of one medium onion - diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon, dried thyme
  • 1 cup vermouth
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • fresh ground pepper

Steps

  1. Make sure mussels are cleaned well - that means they've been scrubbed and don't have that little seaweed-like growth - it's called the beard. If they do, just give it a quick, hard little pull. All this handling will cause the mussels to close if they were open. If they don't close - don't use them. Have your fish guy make sure they are in good shape before he bags them.
  2. Melt half of the butter in a large pot and saute garlic and onions for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
  3. Add mussels, thyme, vermouth and turn heat to high.
  4. Give the mussels a good stir with a large spoon to mix all together and cover pot.
  5. Shake the pot occasionally to make sure the mussels cook evenly.
  6. In 5 minutes, check to see if the mussels have opened. If they haven't, give them another couple of minutes, but that's it. If they haven't opened by now - it's too bad for them. Throw away the unopened ones.
  7. Take out the mussels, and cover with foil to keep warm.
  8. Add the rest of the butter and the parsley to the liquid that remains.
  9. Serve mussels in individual bowls with some of the liquid.
  10. Think I'll go make some right now!