Spicy Thai Steamed Mussels

On our recent trip to California we had the most enjoyable lunch with friends at this great little bistro in Laguna Beach, 230 Forest Avenue. The most memorable part of our meal there were the mussels that we shared as an appetizer, prepared in a traditional wine, herb, and butter broth. Our friend commented that he wished restaurants made mussel broth soup and served it with a loaf of bread and I agreed! The broth is the best part! Ever since we got back I have been craving mussels and decided to try them as a main course for our dinner last night. Being that it is “all about the broth” I decided to try something a little different that incorporated a lot of our favorite Thai flavors. I served these with a loaf of garlic bread and a spinach salad with the most amazing ginger dressing. For those of you that are fans of ginger dressing, check out this post.

A note on mussels: When you purchase your mussels make sure that you keep the plastic bag open so that they are able to breathe. Store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. 30 minutes prior to cooking, go through the mussels and discard any chipped or opened mussels. Place the remaining tightly closed mussels in a large bowl of cold water and soak them for 20 minutes. This will give them time to expel the sand and grit that is still in the shell that you do not want in your food! When finished soaking, remove them to a colander and pat them dry. Be careful not to pour them into the colander or else all the sand that you just strained will be right back where it started. Just remove them with a slotted spoon.

Spicy Thai Steamed Mussels
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
Serves 2 as a main dish (with a lot of extra sauce!) or 4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients
2 pounds mussels (preferably cultivated)
3 limes
13 1/2-ounce can light unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ½ tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups fresh chopped cilantro

Scrub mussels well and remove beards. Squeeze enough juice from limes to measure 1/3 cup. In a dutch oven bring the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce, and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add mussels, tossing to combine. Cook mussels, covered, stirring occasionally, until opened, about 5 to 8 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.) Chop cilantro and toss with mussels.

Serve mussels with garlic bread.