Oven Roasted Mussels With Garlic Herb Butter Food

MUSSELS WITH PARSLEY AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Spread mussels in a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Blend all remaining ingredients to a paste in a food processor. Spoon mixture over mussels. Cover tightly with foil and bake in middle of oven until all mussels are open, 12 to 15 minutes. (Discard any unopened mussels.)

BROILED MUSSELS WITH GARLICKY HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together parsley, garlic, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Pulse in butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons Pernod until mixture is combined. Scrape into a bowl.
• In a soup pot with a tightfitting lid, combine mussels, 1/4 cup pastis and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until mussels have opened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer mussels to a bowl until cool enough to handle; remove meat from the shells (reserving shells) and transfer to a bowl.
• Pry apart mussel shells and arrange half the shells on one or two large baking sheets; discard remaining shells. Place one mussel in each shell. Top each with a small spoonful of herb butter and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. Mussels may be made up to 1 day ahead up to this point; wrap baking sheets and mussels in plastic wrap and refrigerate. When ready to serve, heat broiler to high and arrange a rack 4 inches from the heat. Transfer tray(s) to the oven and broil until bread crumbs are golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

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.

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.

MUSSELS IN GARLIC BUTTER

Steps:

• Cream the butter with the garlic and parsley in a bowl and set aside.
• Place the mussels in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients, bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until the mussels open.
• Detach the lid from the base and place the mussels still sitting in their shells on a baking sheet.
• Dot generously with the garlic butter and grill until the butter has melted.
• Serve the mussles on their own or in the wine broth.

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.

OVEN-ROASTED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC-HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Mix first 8 ingredients in small bowl. Season herb butter with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 500. Brush bread on both sides with oil; place on baking sheet. Place bread on top oven rack; toast until golden, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, place mussels in wide ovenproof pot. Cover, place on bottom oven rack, and roast just until mussels open, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from oven and discard any mussels that did not open. Add herb butter to mussels; stir until melted. Season to taste with ground black pepper. Divide mussels and juices from pot among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with additional chopped chives. Top each serving with sourdough toast and serve.

HERB AND LEMON BUTTER MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and vegetable oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a pinch of salt along with the onions and garlic. Sweat until they are a tad past translucent and are just starting to acquire color. Before the garlic starts to brown, add the tomatoes, scallions and basil. Saute so that the flavors blend together, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more.
• Add the mussels to the pan. Next, add the lemon juice and then the Chardonnay to deglaze the pan, and then quickly cover with a lid to steam the mussels. Note: Do not open for at least 1 1/2 to 2 minutes so the mussels can steam.
• Then, lift the lid and add the parsley (checking to make sure that there is enough moisture in the bottom of the pan to continue to steam the mussels). If everything is going properly, the mussels will have almost fully opened and there will be plenty of liquid still in the bottom of the pan to finish steaming the mussels. In that case, quickly cover the pan for another minute and a half. If the wine has evaporated and the mussels have not opened, add a small additional amount of wine, about a half cup more, and then re-cover the pan to cook out the additional raw alcohol taste and allow the mussels to fully open.
• Once 3 to 4 minutes total have passed since the beginning of the cooking process, all of the mussels should have opened and their natural juices should have leaked out into the bottom of the pan, combining with the fresh herbs and vegetables to create a simmering broth. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter until melted.
• Plate the mussels in a bowl and pour the sauce on top. Serve with your favorite toasted bread.