Oven Roasted Mussels With Fresh Spinach Food

OVEN-ROASTED MUSSELS WITH FRESH SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean the mussels. Inspect each one carefully and discard any that have opened (if some are partly open, tap them with your finger, and if they close back up they are O.K.) or have cracked shells. Place in a large bowl, fill the bowl with cold water and rinse several times, swishing the mussels around in the water, pouring out the water and refilling. Clean the shells, if necessary, with a brush or the end of one of the mussels, and pull out the beards -- the hairy attachments emerging from the shells. Do not do this until just before cooking, or the mussels will die and spoil.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the mussels. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Arrange the mussels, pointed ends up, in a single layer in a cast iron skillet and/or a heavy baking dish. Spoon the marinade left in the bowl over the mussels and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until most of the mussels have opened.
• Meanwhile, steam the spinach in a large pot above 1 inch of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, arrange on a large round platter, and season with a little bit of coarse sea salt and pepper.
• Arrange the mussels that have opened on top of the spinach and return the pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard any mussels that have not opened. Arrange all of the mussels on top of the spinach, pour the juices in the pan over the mussels and spinach, sprinkle on the parsley and serve over a bed of steamed spinach, with crusty bread.

OVEN ROASTED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Position 1 rack in bottom third of oven and the other rack in top third of oven.
• Mix 1st seven ingredients in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper.
• Brush bread on both sides with olive oil; place on top baking rack in oven.
• Place mussels in wide oven-proof pot; cover and put on bottom rack.
• Roast mussels until mussels open, about 5-9 minutes.
• Watch bread until it is lightly toasted.
• Remove any mussels that did not open.
• Add herb butter and stir until melted.
• Divide mussels and juices among bowls and sprinkle with remaining chopped chives.
• Serve with bread.

ROASTED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread almonds in an even layer on a baking sheet. Transfer baking sheet to oven and roast until fragrant, about 5 minutes; let cool. Coarsely chop almonds by hand or pulse in a food processor.
• Place a 5 1/4 quart nonreactive cast-iron roasting pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and cook until melted. Add shallots and garlic, cooking until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice, bring to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Toss in herbs and almonds; season with salt and pepper.
• Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Arrange mussels in the roasting pan in no more than two even layers. Cut remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter into pieces and place over mussels. Transfer to oven and roast, tossing mussels to coat, every 3 to 4 minutes, until mussels have opened and sauce is creamy. Serve immediately with bread for dipping.

OVEN-STEAMED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC AND WHITE WINE

Steps:

• Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 500°F.
• Set a large roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Do not brown. Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaves and boil until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the salt and mussels. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil (remember the edges of the pan will be hot) and transfer to the oven. Roast until the majority of the mussels have opened, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and place a dishtowel over the handle to remind yourself that it's hot. Discard any unopened mussels. Using a wooden spoon, push the mussels to the edges of the pan. Add the butter to the center and stir until melted. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves and stir in the parsley. Spoon the mussels and wine broth into bowls and serve with bread.
• Note: When a recipe calls for dry white wine, the best options are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or unoaked Chardonnay. Select a bottle that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
• Note: Most markets sell farm-raised mussels, which are easy to clean - in fact, they are usually already scrubbed and debearded. However, it's still a good idea to clean them prior to cooking. Simply put them in a colander and run them under cold running water, using your hands or a scrubbing brush to remove any sand or debris. If beards (the little tuft of fibers the mussel uses to connect to rocks or pilings) are present, cut or scrape them off with a paring knife, or use your fingers to pull them sharply down toward the hinged point of the shells. The mussels should be tightly closed. If you see a mussel that is open, tap it gently against the counter; in a live mussel, this will trigger a reaction to close its shell. If the mussel doesn't slowly close, it has died and should be discarded. Discard any mussels with cracked shells as well.

EASY BAKED MUSSELS RECIPE

Steps:

• Properly clean mussels by brushing the outer shell and washing with cold running water. Remove the dark hairy part referred to as the "beard" or byssus.
• In a casserole, boil water with ginger. Water should be enough to soak the fresh mussels. Add mussels and allow to boil for one to two minutes. Drain water. Separate the shells of mussels - discard the empty shell and transfer the mussel meat with shell to a tray lined with lightly greased foil. For mussels that did not open when boiled, opt to discard them.
• In a skillet, melt butter over low heat and fry garlic until slightly golden. Turn off the heat and add dried thyme and cayenne powder. Spoon garlic-butter mixture over mussels. Season with ground black pepper. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
• Bake mussels in a preheated oven of 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.
• Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh parsley.

BAKED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Prepare a baking dish with slightly scrunched foil in it (to help the mussels be able to sit level).
• Scrub the mussels, removing any dirt and hairy bit, clean and discard any that are broken.
• Put the mussels in a pot with the water, cover and put on a medium-high heat for a couple minutes until they open up. Remove form the heat.
• Meanwhile, mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, garlic, oregano and olive oil in a small bowl.
• When the mussels have steamed, remove one side of the shell and use it to loosen the mussel from the shell, if still attached. Sit the mussel on one side of the shell and set it level on the foil in baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the mussels.
• Spoon/press some of the breadcrumb mixture on top of each mussel, trying to cover the mussel itself as far as possible. If you like, put a little of the mussel cooking juice in the bottom of the shell to help keep the mussel moist.
• Bake the mussels for approx 7-10 minutes until gently golden on top. Serve warm or room temp (don't re-heat them as they will likely go dry and/or tough).