Mussel Salad With Fennel Food

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel; cook until just soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil to reduce slightly. Add the tomatoes and tarragon, then cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water and the mussels. Raise the heat to high, cover and cook until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Check halfway through and transfer any open mussels to a serving bowl.) Transfer all the mussels to a serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Season the sauce with pepper and, if needed, salt, and pour over the mussels. Serve with the bread.
• Photograph By Antonis Achilleos

MUSSEL SALAD WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a saucepan; add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
• Steam mussels in water, covered, 10 minutes or until shells open; discard any unopened shells.
• Trim tough outer leaves from fennel. Dice stalks to equal 1 cup; set aside.
• Cut fennel bulb in half vertically; discard core. Cut each half crosswise into thin slices to measure 1/2 cup, and set aside. Reserve remaining fennel for another use.
• Combine vinegar, red onion, oil, salt, pepper and garlic in a large bowl, and stir well.
• Remove 1/4 cup dressing; set aside.
• Add potatoes, mussels, fennel, and tomato wedges to the bowl; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
• Combine reserved 1/4 cup dressing and greens in a bowl; toss well.
• To serve, divide greens evenly among 4 salad bowls. Arrange one-fourth of mussel mixture and 2 egg quarters over each salad.

MUSSELS WITH CHORIZO AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and chorizo and saute for about 2 minutes. Then the celery, garlic, tomatoes, fennel and onions, and saute until tender but not too soft, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Add the mussels, and saute again until the mussels start to pop open. Add the clam juice and wine and cover the skillet. Steam the mussels until they open, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove any mussels that didn't open, and transfer the rest from the skillet to a serving bowl(s), leaving the liquid behind. Add the butter and simmer until the liquid reduces a bit, about 2 minutes.
• Pour the liquid over the mussels and serve with a delightful crusty bread.

MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND ITALIAN BEER

Steps:

• Heat a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. To the hot pan, add the shallots and fennel. Sweat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook another 2 minutes. Add the mussels and stir gently once or twice in order to coat in the oil. Add the beer and stir one more time. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. Stir in the butter and tarragon and season with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Serve with slices of crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND LOVAGE

Steps:

• Heat a large heavy pot over high heat until very hot. Add mussels, fennel, verjus, and wine. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until mussels fully open (discard any that do not open). Using a slotted spoon, transfer mussels and fennel to a serving platter.
• Simmer liquid in pot for 1 minute; whisk in butter and 1/2 cup lovage leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and additional vinegar if using grape juice). Spoon over mussels, leaving any sediment behind. Garnish mussels with remaining 1/2 cup lovage leaves and serve immediately.

LEMON-FENNEL MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over medium heat. When hot, add shallots; cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in fennel and 1 teaspoon salt. Season generously with pepper. Saute fennel until it begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Raise heat, and add lemon juice and wine. Bring to a boil, and cook until liquid is reduced by a quarter, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in mussels, and cover. Cook mussels until they just open, stirring halfway through to move the ones at the bottom to the top, 4 to 6 minutes. Discard any mussels that haven't opened after 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. If serving immediately, stir in parsley; if serving at room temperature, let cool slightly before adding parsley.

MUSSELS WITH CREAM, FENNEL, AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped fennel, shallots, garlic and fennel seeds. Sauté until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cream and boil until liquid thickens, about 10 minutes. Add mussels. Cover and cook until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Divide mussels among 6 shallow bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Ladle broth over and serve.

MUSSELS WITH FENNEL DUO

Steps:

• In a large, wide pot that can comfortably hold the mussels, toast the fennel seeds over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add the oil, butter, fennel, and a pinch of salt. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture is bubbling and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest.
• Add the mussels and wine and cover. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, just until the mussels open, about 10 minutes. Toss in the basil leaves.
• Divide the mussels and all of their cooking liquid among serving bowls.