I was in the St. Lawrence Market area downtown in Toronto yesterday and decided to pop into the market and pick up some fish that is hard to find fresh in my area. I picked up some Fresh Sushi Tuna that I made tartare style last night and inhaled that so fast I didn't even take a photo of it. I also picked up some wild salmon which I haven't decided what to do with yet.. That's for dinner but Lunch today was a visit to Paris with Fresh Mussels.
Making Mussels is a great way to clear out your fridge. You can put whatever flavourings you like into the broth.
This is what I put into it:
Shallots
Red and Green Onion
Garlic
Parsley
Tarragon
Red Chili Pepper
Leek
Celery
Salt
Pepper
Cherry Tomatoes
White Wine
Pernod
Splash of Heavy Cream
The Tarragon, celery, leek, white wine, Parsley and Pernod really give it that fresh flavour and give it a French Style Flair. Add the quantities you like.. just a bit of each thing.. basically toss all the ingredients into a big pot and when you smell the flavours coming out toss in the Mussels and cover the pot with a lid and steam for a minute.
The cooking time is nothing.. but may take a few minutes of prep time just to get your ingredients together but depending on what you put in it could take anywhere from 2 min to about 15 min. Really that's nothing for a fresh bowl of Mussels.
People are scared to make them at home but really the tricks are to clean them and make sure there aren't any beards, little fibers hanging out of them and make sure they are closed before you cook them and all open after you cook them. That's the whole trick. The rest is just what you flavour them with. Thai, Italian, French whatever you think will give you a flavourful broth that you can dip a fresh baguette into to sop up all the flavour in the broth.
Save the waiter tips and try and make it at home. You can make as much as you want and have them whenever you want and you won't have to wait for a slow waiter to bring them to you.
Only downside that I can see is that you actually have to throw out more than you eat because the shells and the veggies that you don't eat are more than those tiny little mussels.
So the only real downside is the prep and cleanup so I would suggest finding an OCD friend that likes to clean to come over and help you clean up.
If I can't go to PARIS at least I can bring a taste of Paris home.
It's easy...try it and ENJOY!
Go to Paris! Go to Paris! Go to Paris!
ReplyDeleteI cook mussels sometimes but I've never bought the fresh ones before. I get the New Zealand frozen ones. Only problem is that they sometimes are gummy and I spit them out. But the broth is the best part. A loaf of bread and mussels broth. Yum!
Go to St. Lawrence Market to get the mussels.. they have enough turnaround to make them fresh. no fishy smell. Paris is at the top of my to do list but my budget isn't co operating with my plan. Haven't been since I was 7 and I wasn't a foodie then.. i was just picky.
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