My First Time Making Mussels

Last week, I ventured to the Union Square green market looking for some culinary inspiration. I strolled from stall to stall, studying the produce and examining various protein, when I decided to try the seafood vendor, Blue Moon Fish. 

For as long as I can remember, I've seen Blue Moon Fish at the market and I was always impressed by the long line of customers. I'd never purchased seafood here, but today, I thought I'd try it! Over the past several weeks, I have been wanting to cook mussels, so when I saw them for sale, I knew exactly what I was going to purchase. 

R and I both loves mussels, and I've never made them, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I chatted with the nice lady at the fish stall regarding the best way to cook mussels and how to properly clean them --- I learned quite a lot! Mussels purchased, I returned home, excited for my culinary experiment. 

I searched several recipes and using them as inspiration, I crafted my own. I used a basic recipe that requires steaming with white wine, but I included bacon and garlic. I opted against a cream-based broth, since I am not a fan of creamy sauce, but that seems to have worked out ok. (No cream, no problem!)

For me, the most memorable part of making mussels was cleaning the beards. Farm raised mussels come to market cleaned, but wild ones don't. Whilst in the water, mussels "attach themselves to stable surfaces using thin, sticky membranes referred to as beards." ( taken from http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/how-to-clean-debeard-mussels.html) I learned that one must carefully remove the seaweed-looking bits attached to the mussels. This was very easy.  (Click here to see how to "debeard" mussels.)

I really enjoyed cooking mussels for dinner. They are easy and super quick to make! Only took me a total of 20 minutes or so (cook + prep time) and they were really yummy. I think that 2 lb is perfect for two people, although since they are quite light, you might want more! Traditionally, mussels are served with a toasted slice of bread, but you can serve them however way you want. I highly recommend this dish as a weeknight family meal or weekend dinner party main! 

Ingredients: 
- about 2 lb mussels 
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- about 6 pieces bacon or pancetta, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions: 
1. Prepare your mussels. Make sure you clean them thoroughly and de-beard them (if necessary). Be sure to discard any dead mussels (mussels that are open or don't react to de-bearding). 
2. Chop up your bacon. 
3. In a deep cooking pan (I used my Le Creuset), heat olive oil and then add bacon. Cook until crispy. 
4. Once bacon is crispy, add garlic and Italian spices. Mix throughly. 
5. Add mussels and white wine.
6. Cover your pot and allow mussels to steam for about 10 minutes or until they have opened. 
(Opened mussels = cooked). 
7. Once your mussels are cooked, serve immediately.
Et voila! 

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