Over the weekend I ended up at an impromptu girls night in. We ended up gathered around a table with simple appetizers. Don’t all gatherings, at least the good ones start around a table? It was one of those perfect nights. Warm, but not too warm right at the golden hour.
Someone (you know who you are), brought steamed mussels in a big bowl. I had instant flashbacks to sitting at cafe tables in Barcelona one summer eating wine-steamed mussels and crusty bread. There is something, just SO about prying open iridescent shells with your hands, slurping back rich broth and sopping up every last bit of goodness…
Once upon a time, I used to quick steam mussels for gatherings with friends – I was clearly out to impress. Little did they know that my party trick was nothing but smoke and mirrors; or rather heat and wine and not much else.
Everyone thinks briny mussels are complicated and expensive and require a bit of kitchen alchemy. They are not and do not.
It is an inevitability that if you heat some butter and any flavorful liquid, dump in mussels and put the lid on a pot for a few minutes, you have a meal. But I forgot. Forgot how easy it is and how much I love the decadence of eating a bowl of mussels with my hands.
Shame on me, but cheers to rediscovery. Here, I combined one of my other loves – smokey, fire-roasted Hatch Chiles with a little wine, a lot of butter and a few aromatics. 15 minutes laster, I barely managed to take photos before I sat down and ate them all. By. My. Self. On the porch at sunset.
Thank you for the reminder, universe.
My wish for you is to enjoy the same. With a glass of wine and some great garlicy bread of course! Cheers and happy sitting and sunning and eating!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Butter, divided
- 2 Shallots, sliced fine
- 1 cup Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped fine
- 2-3 Roasted Chiles (depending on the level of heat you are looking for. If you want milder flavor, you can also remove the seeds and membranes)
- (1) 15 oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves Garlic, sliced
- 1 cups Chicken Broth,
- 1.5 cups Dry White Wine or Mexican Beer (light)
- 2.5 lbs Mussels, scrubbed well, debearded
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Method
- Tap each of the mussels on the edge of the counter. Discard any the stay open.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large stock pot with a lid. Add shallots and sauté lightly until they are just soft, but not brown.
- Add the parsley, chiles, tomatoes, garlic, & liquid to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let the flavors blend for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the mussels. Cover the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook until the mussels open - about 4–5 minutes. Do not crack the lid to check for at least 4 minutes.
- Remove the mussels from the pot with a slotted spoon and discard any that are not open. Divide into serving bowls.
- Boil the juices in the bottom of the pan slightly to reduce for about 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Remove from heat and add salt a pepper to taste and a squeeze of lemon.
- Spoon sauce over mussels & serve with lots of crusty bread or garlic toast to sop up juices. I like to have a bowl of Aioli on the table to pop the mussels into before popping them into my mouth.
Lydia, I never ‘got’ the Spanish lisp down
A few more ideas for the world famous Hatch Chiles:
- Slow Cooker Hatch Green Chile Verde by Foodie Crush
- Hatch Chile Chimichurri by Geez Louise
- 50 Fabulous Hatch Chile Recipes compiled by The Wicked Noodle
Yummy. I grew up on the water. And if there’s one thing I miss, it’s fresh seafood you could buy on the dock from the guy who caught it. BTW The Lodge Bistro at Snowbird has an all you can eat mussels night on Sundays. $12.
So delicious Lydia! These mussels bring back pleasant and delicious memories of seafood picnics on the wharf growing up in Rhode Island…..
What a lovely memory Allie – thanks for sharing! A little jealous right now, actually. Cheers to food moments and memories & thanks for sharing. Hope you’ll follow along. -Lydia
Oh, these are so fantastic, Lydia. Like you, I had forgotten how easy these are and cooked them about 2 months ago after a long absence from them. Easy, quick and so inexpensive for what feels like a decadent meal!
After living on Vancouver Island for many years where we could dig up our own mussels, I’m so spoiled. I will cook these this weekend. And of course, you must have wonderful garlic bread for dipping!
Love this 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comment Robyn! *Raising a virtual glass and a toast over mussels this weekend…
Enjoy & let us know how they turn out.