British mussels are cheap, utterly delicious and importantly, highly sustainable. This recipe looks magnificent and is a fantastic alternative to cooking mussels in white wine, sherry or cider as is traditionally done across the UK. The zesty lemongrass, galangal create a lovely freshness that infuses the coconut milk broth in which the mussels are steamed, whilst the chili add a welcome kick. Serve the mussels topped with fresh coriander leaves and make sure to scoop up the delicate coconut broth. The Thai mussels can be served alongside a Pad Thai or summer rolls.
This dish was made using wonderful River Teign mussels from River Teign Shellfish, sold on the Pesky Fish market place. Pesky Fish is market for British inshore fisherman to sell their catch directly to consumers, catch of the day is packed up and delivered to your door.
INGREDIENTS (Serves 2)
1 kg mussels , debearded, from sustainable sources
4 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
½ a bunch of fresh coriander
1 stick of lemongrass
1 fresh red chilli
groundnut oil
1 x 400 ml tin of reduced fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tsp galangal paste
1 lime
METHOD
Wash the mussels thoroughly, discarding any that aren’t tightly closed.
Trim and finely slice the spring onions, peel and finely slice the garlic. Pick and set aside the coriander leaves, then finely chop the stalks. Remove the outerlayers of the lemongrass until you're left with a pliable stalk, cut into 4 pieces, then finely slice the chilli.
In a wide saucepan, heat a little groundnut oil and soften the spring onion, garlic, coriander stalks, lemongrass and most of the red chilli for around 5 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, galangal, fish sauce and bring to the boil, then add the mussels and cover the pan.
Steam the mussels for 5 minutes, or until they've all opened and are cooked. Discard any unopened mussels.
Finish with a squeeze of lime juice, then sprinkle with coriander leaves and the remaining chilli to serve.
