Steamed Mussels With Soy Food

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Discard any with broken shells. Heat oil in a 6 to 8-quart stockpot. Saute the shallot, garlic and thyme to create a base flavor. Add the mussels and give them a good toss. Add wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and red pepper flakes; cover the pot and steam over medium-high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Toss in the tomato, parsley and butter, recover the pot, and steam for another minute to soften. The tomatoes should keep their shape. Serve with plenty of grilled garlic bread to sop up the broth.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH SOY

Steps:

• Put oil in saucepan large enough for all of the mussels. Turn heat to medium. One minute later, add scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about a minute.
• Add mussels, turn heat to high, and cover pot. Cook, shaking pot occasionally, until all (or nearly all) of them open, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
• Scoop mussels into serving bowl. Add soy sauce to liquid, and then pass liquid through a fine strainer (or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth). Pour liquid over mussels, and serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS, ASIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Put the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold all the mussels and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the scallion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.
• Add the mussels, turn the heat to high, and cover the pot. Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until they all (or nearly all) open, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• Scoop the mussels into a serving bowl. Add the soy sauce to the liquid, then pass it through a fine strainer (or a coarse one lined with cheesecloth). Pour the liquid over the mussels and serve.
• Variations
• Curried Steamed Mussels: Substitute butter for the oil. Substitute shallot for the scallion and omit the ginger and garlic. When the shallot is soft, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Cook and finish as directed, substituting the juice of 1 lime for the soy sauce.
• Thai Steamed Mussels: Use peanut oil. Add 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped; 1 small dried hot red chile; and 2 lime leaves to the scallion, ginger, and garlic. Substitute nam pla (fish sauce) for the soy sauce.
• Steamed Clams with Soy: Most mussel recipes will work for steamers, which are also known as soft-shell clams. But steamers must be rinsed after shucking to remove all traces of sand, and you don't want to dilute these delicious broths by dipping clams into them one after the other. The solution is to substitute littlenecks-small hardshell clams, the kind served on the half shell and used for pasta with clam sauce-for the mussels. These contain no sand at all, but because their shells are heavier, use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of littlenecks to replace each pound of mussels. Proceed exactly as directed.
• Mussels
• Every year, we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are far tastier but harder to clean. When cleaning mussels, discard any with broken shells. If the mussels have beards-the hairy vegetative growth that is attached to the shell-trim them off. Those mussels that remain closed after the majority have been steamed open can be pried open with a knife (a butter knife works fine) at the table.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Discard any broken-shell or open (dead) mussels. Scrub remaining mussels in cold water, removing any barnacles with a dull paring knife. Remove beards by giving them a tug (using a kitchen towel may help). If you have trouble removing them, use pliers to grip and pull gently.
• Place mussels in large container. Cover with cool water. Agitate water with hand, then drain and discard water. Repeat several times until water runs clear; drain.
• In steamer,* place half of the mussels and the boiling water. Cover and steam 3 to 5 minutes, removing mussels as they open. Discard any unopened mussels. Repeat with remaining mussels.
• Serve hot mussels in shells with butter.

SIMPLE STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Place a cast-iron enameled Dutch oven over high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and butter and briefly cook until the onion softens, 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the chili flakes. Add the mussels, Chardonnay and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until all of the mussels have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the lid then add the parsley.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush the bread slices with olive oil on both sides. Grill until toasted on both sides, 30 seconds per side.
• Serve the mussels with a rustic piece of grilled bread.

BUTTERY STEAMED MUSSELS WITH SAKE AND CHILES

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add green onions and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add next 5 ingredients. Bring to boil. Add mussels. Cover pot and increase heat to high. Cook until mussels open, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Divide mussels among bowls (discard any mussels that do not open). Boil juices in pot to reduce slightly, about 1 minute. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over mussels; serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH WINE AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge or vegetable brush, then debeard: grip the tough fibers extending from the shell and pull to remove. Discard beards.
• Steep saffron in wine for 10 minutes. (Saffron is soluble in water, not fat, so it won't release its color or flavor if added directly to the butter.) Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a shallow stockpot. Once it's foamy, add shallots, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until shallots are transparent and garlic is soft, about 3 minutes, stirring every so often to keep garlic from scorching. Pour in wine and saffron, then add tomatoes and return to a simmer, stirring once or twice.
• Add mussels and cover tightly. Cook until all mussels open, about 6 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. If using wild mussels, strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve to remove any sand, if necessary. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with parsley before ladling mussels and broth into bowls.

THAI STEAMED MUSSELS IN COCONUT MILK

Steps:

• Scrub the mussels in cold water. Scrape off any barnacles with a knife, then pull out and discard the fibrous beard visible between the hinge on any of the shells. Discard any mussels that are not tightly closed, or which fail to close when tapped sharply.
• Heat a large wok or pan over high heat and then add the oil. Stir in the garlic, ginger, chillies, and spring onions and stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Grate the rind of the limes into the ginger mixture, then squeeze both fruit and add the juice to the wok with the coconut milk, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to mix.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the mussels. Return the pan to a boil, cover and cook briskly for 5-6 minutes, or until all the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.
• Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro. Season the mussels well with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately.

THAI STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, combine the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and curry paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes then add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels are opened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Pour mussels and liquid into a serving dish and toss with cilantro.

STEAMED MUSSELS II

Steps:

• In a medium stock pot, heat butter over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent.
• Pour in wine and mussels. Raise heat to medium/high and steam mussels until shells open, about 5 minutes.
• Pour mussels and cooking liquid into a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Put olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper and let sizzle for 30 seconds without browning. Add the mussels, stir to coat and increase heat to high. Add the wine or water, and put on lid. After 2 minutes, give the mussels a stir, then replace lid and continue cooking until all mussels have opened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Paint cut sides of the baguette pieces with oil and place cut side up under broiler to toast. Rub toasts with the remaining garlic cloves.
• Stir the chopped parsley into the mussels, then ladle mussels and broth into bowls. Serve with the garlic toasts.

CHINESE STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the wok over high heat and add the peanut oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chiles and rice wine and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the mussels and stir-fry for less than 1 minute.
• Add the Chinese beer and the whites of the spring onions and cook until the mussels open, stirring occasionally. Discard any that do not open. Season the mussels with the light soy sauce.
• Sprinkle in the greens of the spring onions and the cilantro, serve immediately.