Mussels are an excellent source of protein, they contain few calories and fats, cholesterol, and at the same time they have a large amount of vitamins and minerals. They are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for heart support. They reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and also lower the level of triglyceride fats in the blood.
The above-mentioned benefits of this seafood make it a good option for people suffering from overweight, diabetes and heart disease.
Mussels are popular because they are inexpensive and taste good. In addition, they can be cooked quickly and easily. To make a delicious dinner, just a pack of seafood, a little butter, spices and wine. A simple and at the same time diet mussel dish will be on your table in just 15 minutes.
However, this is far from the only way to cook mussels. Below are general guidelines for preparing this seafood and ideas for delicious dishes.
How to cook mussels delicious?
Black mussels are the most common type of seafood you can find on sale. They arrive in stores almost ready for cooking. All that is required to prepare the mussels is to rinse them a little. You can also find large clams in the dark green shells, which are good in baked form.
Mussels are good because they form a sauce on their own, but some spices and additives can improve the taste. Shallots can be a good addition.
If you want to experiment, use regular onions or perhaps chopped fennel. In addition, a few twigs of thyme or rosemary will also work great. If you like spices, Thai curry paste or harissa would be a good choice. Cubes of salami, chorizo or bacon also go well with this seafood.
As soon as you choose the right additives and spices, you can cook any dish of mussels in a small amount of olive or butter.
Mussels release a lot of liquid on their own, so you do not have to add water to them, but some other liquid fillers can improve the taste of the finished dish. Dry white wine is a classic choice and probably the most common. However, it was cider that was the more common drink among sailors, so it is great for making seafood.
The fastest and easiest mussel dish is to simply drop them on a dry hot frying pan and tap on the sinks with a spatula. They are quickly stewed in their own juice. All you need to do is pour olive oil, sprinkle with lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh aromatic herbs.
In other options, try using chopped tomatoes. Coconut milk can add fresh flavors to seafood. This is how the national dishes of Southeast Asia are prepared. Below are some simple and original recipes for making mussels. As you can see, even a novice hostess can fulfill them.
Blue cheese mussels
If you like mussels and blue cheese, you can try combining these products in one dish. To do this, you will need:
- 2 kilograms of mussels;
- 1 kg of broccoli;
- 300 grams of short pasta;
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) of dry white wine;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 240 ml (1 cup) cream;
- 200 grams of roquefort (or other blue cheese such as gorgonzola);
- 2 tablespoons butter.
How to make mussels in garlic sauce with cheese?
Sauté the mussels with roquefort and minced garlic using the above amounts of these products and remove most of the mussels from the shells. Leave a few pieces for decoration.
Cut broccoli into pieces the size of one bite. Boil pasta and broccoli in one pan with slightly salted water, adding the vegetable there only for 6 minutes of cooking.
Drain, mix pasta and broccoli with mussels and cheese. Garnish the dish with seafood in the sinks and serve immediately.
Mussels in garlic sauce
Many love spicy seafood, so hot mussel and garlic dishes are very popular. Below is a recipe for seafood with cheese and butter, which will appeal to almost everyone. For him you will need:
- 1 kg of fresh mussels;
- 50 grams of butter;
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- a slice of fresh ginger 1.5 cm in size;
- 1 cup plain or spicy white cheddar cheese;
- ¼ tablespoons dried thyme;
- ⅛ tablespoons cayenne pepper;
- black pepper to taste;
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
How to cook mussels with cheese?
This is a dish of boiled mussels. Clean the moproduct by removing the sinks and rinse them with cold running water. Remove the dark fleecy parts. Boil water with ginger in a saucepan. Make sure you add enough water to cover the mussels. Add seafood and simmer for one to two minutes. Drain the water.
Transfer the mussels along with the sinks onto a baking sheet covered with lightly oiled foil.
In a skillet, melt the butter over low heat and fry the garlic until slightly golden. Turn off the heat and add dried thyme and cayenne pepper powder. Pour the garlic oil mixture over the mussel. Season with ground black pepper. Sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top.
Bake mussels in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Seafood curry
If you purchase peeled shellfish, you can easily and quickly cook Asian delicious mussel dishes. For example, seafood curry. For this you need:
- mussels - 500 grams;
- onions - 2 pieces;
- tomato - 1 medium;
- garlic - 4 prongs;
- fresh ginger - a slice 1.5 cm long;
- chili powder - 1-2 teaspoons of tea;
- ground turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon of tea;
- coriander powder - 1.5 tablespoons;
- seasoning Garam masala - 1/2 tablespoon of the dining room;
- ground black pepper - 1/2 tablespoon;
- curry leaves - a few pieces;
- cilantro - for decoration;
- some lemon juice;
- salt;
- vegetable oil.
Cooking an Indian dish
Defrost and rinse the mussels. Mix with salt, chili, turmeric powder and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes. Subsequently, fried mussels will turn out more fragrant.
Chop onion and garlic, chop ginger and curry leaves. Heat the oil and add onions to it. Fry until it is light brown. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Fry for a few more minutes. Put the tomato and simmer until soft.
Add the mussels with spices and sauté until seafood is cooked. Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with lemon juice. Serve the fried mussels hot with rice or chapatti. You can also complement it with a salad of fresh juicy vegetables.
Baked Mussels with Cheese
In many Asian restaurants you can find a mussel dish such as baked shellfish and sauce. It has an interesting taste, which can be either sweet or spicy. Most often, mussels are baked with cheese, since this combination is universal.
The recipe for such a dish is very easy and quick, and it only requires a few ingredients. You can make it at home without any problems. A standard recipe requires the use of mayonnaise, but you can replace it with thick sour cream and bake mussels in a creamy sauce.
It is advisable to use Korean Kewpie mayonnaise, which can be found in Asian specialty stores and even in some hypermarkets. This product is very different from the usual ubiquitous mayonnaise.
Giant green mussels can be found today at any major store. They have a large shell size. You can cook this simple dish of frozen or fresh mussels.
Since baking takes only 5-7 minutes, you can do it in batches. In total you will need:
- 1 kg of giant green mussels (approximately 16 pieces);
- 1/2 cup Korean mayonnaise;
- 1 cup cheese, grated finely;
- 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce;
- 1 tablespoon lime juice;
- a handful of parsley, finely chopped.
How to bake mussels with cheese?
Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Inspect the mussels and remove the clams with broken shells. Heat a high-frying pan or pan, put seafood there along with 2 tablespoons of tablespoons of water, immediately cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on moderate heat until the sinks open. Then put them in a colander so that they can cool.
While the mussels are cooked, combine mayonnaise, cheese, barbecue sauce and lime juice in a small bowl. After the clams have been cooked and cooled sufficiently for processing (just a few minutes), remove one half of the shell from them. Place the mussels (meat up) in one layer in a pan or baking sheet. Put a teaspoon of cheese mixture on top of each clam.
Bake for 5-7 minutes at 200 ° C until golden and bubbles appear. Remove from the oven and carefully place the mussels on a serving plate, sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Alternatively, you can try using chipotle sauce instead of barbecue for a richer flavor. Finely chopped green onions can be a good addition or substitute for parsley. Lemon juice can easily be replaced with lime juice. And, as noted above, you can replace mayonnaise with sour cream, and barbecue sauce with chopped garlic, and bake mussels in a creamy sauce with cheese.
Paella with Chicken, Chorizo, Mussels and Shrimps
Paella, popular in Spain and other countries, is not difficult to cook at home. However, there are some features that need to be considered. In this recipe, chicken, mussels and shrimp should be prepared separately, and only then mixed with other ingredients.
For best results, use a round rice variety. Chicken should be cut into small pieces. Can be used as part of a carcass with bone, and fillet. If you don’t have a pre-prepared stock, you can start cooking an hour earlier and use the chicken wings to cook it.
All you need is the following:
- 1 small chicken;
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil;
- 500 grams of unpeeled mussels (fresh or thawed);
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) of dry white wine;
- 6-8 large shrimp, raw or pre-cooked;
- 2 onions;
- 1 green pepper;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 100 grams of chorizo;
- 2 cups of rice, preferably round grain;
- 3.5 cups (800 ml) of chicken stock or water;
- 1/4 teaspoon ground saffron;
- ½ teaspoon of tea salt (or more);
- freshly ground black pepper;
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped leaf parsley.
How to cook paella with mussels?
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Heat a spoonful of olive oil in a pan. Fry the chicken until golden brown on all sides for about 15 minutes. It must not be fully cooked. Put the chicken in a bowl with all the melted juices and set aside.
Rinse the mussels at the same time. Heat 1/3 cup white wine in a large saucepan. Add the mussels there, cover and cook over high heat until the shells open (about 3 minutes). Then move the entire contents of the pan to a separate bowl and set aside.
Fry the prawns in a spoonful of olive oil. If you use raw seafood, cook until pink. If you take pre-boiled shrimp, fry until the shells are slightly brown. Set aside.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Rinse the green peppers, core and cut into small cubes. Peel and chop the garlic. Remove the peel from the chorizo and chop it finely.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and peppers. Reduce heat to moderate and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Put slices of chorizo and fry for another 5 minutes.
Add rice to the pan and sauté until translucent in color for about 3 minutes. Pour in the remaining 1/3 cup of white wine. Let the wine evaporate for about 2 minutes. Now pour the broth or water. Add saffron, salt and pepper. When the liquid reaches a boil, reduce the heat as little as possible and cover the pan. Do not stir rice during cooking. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove the cover and try. When it is almost ready, put slices of chicken, mussels and shrimp and gently stir. Add fluid from all of the listed ingredients. Cover and let the mussels and chicken cook to the end on low heat (approximately 5 minutes). Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.