The ultimate in healthy fast food, this is a great family dinner - affordable, packed with nutrients, and great for getting seafood in kids as it is so tactile and fun!
- 1.5 kg (3 lbs) live mussels (the better the quality, the tastier and easier to prepare they will be!)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (or olive oil)
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks of celery, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely diced/minced
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 1 bag of fresh spinach
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine or dry vermouth (you can use veg or fish stock in its place if you like, but white wine/vermouth is nicest)
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream
- large handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- crusty wholemeal or sourdough bread, steamed greens and/or salad, to serve
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Before cooking, check and clean your mussels. Rinse all of them well, then go through and check each one, making sure any that are open will shut if you give them a sharp tap on the counter, or you squeeze them shut. Pull off any "beards" (the ropey bits) by pulling down sharply, and use a sharp knife to scrape off any barnacles or dirt off the messiest ones. Rinse again before using within an hour of cleaning. When I've got good-quality live mussels from a fishmonger, this has taken me as little as 10-15 mins. When I've got a pack from a supermarket that weren't great, they not only didn't taste as good, but they also took me well over half an hour to clean! There was no difference in price either, so make sure you hunt down the good ones.
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Once the mussels are clean and ready, heat the butter in a large deep pot or pan (it should have a lid and be big enough to hold all of the mussels). Gently fry the onion, celery, garlic and leek over low-medium heat for 3-5 mins until softened. Season with salt & pepper, then add the spinach and wine or vermouth, along with the cleaned mussels. Put the lid on the pot and cook the mussels for 3-5 mins, until the mussels are open and cooked. Take off the heat and pour over the cream and parsley.
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Serve with a bowl for the empty shells, and alongside crusty bread to dip in the cream sauce and a side salad or steamed greens. I love this with steamed purple sprouting broccoli drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, and sprinkled with lemon juice and fresh sliced red chilli.