Thai Mussels with Chilli, Ginger and Beer Broth
If the perfect dinner party dish for sharing ever existed, I think these Thai Mussels with Chilli, Ginger and Beer Broth would make an excellent contender. This is one of those dishes best enjoyed with everyone leisurely gathered around the table with a bottle of wine or beer and chunks of crusty, artisan bread. With it’s full on, bright and fresh Thai-flavored broth, this recipe is relaxingly quick to make (with the mussels only needing 4 minutes to cook), and in my opinion the ultimate manner in which you can prepare this luxurious seafood protein.
To really drive home that Thai-flavor profile, I firmly believe using fresh ginger, garlic and Thai red -and green chillis is the way to go here. You can, of course, use a dry white wine as substitute for the beer, however, in some unexplainable inference, I find the beer to even further enhance the natural sweetness of the mussels. That said, be sure to buy the best quality, sustainably sourced (or responsibly farmed) mussels that you can get – preferably still in their shells and closed.
Notes on cooking and preparing the mussels:
Most reputable seafood suppliers clean and prepare the shellfish before selling them. However, I always suggest checking them for any beard that may not have been removed. Next, soak the closed mussels in ice water for 20-30 minutes before cooking – this ensures that any remaining sand be removed. If you’re using frozen mussels, be sure that they thawed completely before cooking them.
Cooking the mussels in the broth takes no longer than 3-4 minutes and the mussels are cooked once the shells have opened. Discard any mussels where the shells remained closed after cooking.
Why I recommend buying sustainably sourced seafood:
There are many reasons to select responsibly sourced ingredients, including safe and monitored water for best quality and freshness, environmental impact management, and social -and economic awareness, to name a few. Whether I’m buying fish, prawns, mussels, or any other seafood ingredient, I always check with my fishmonger whether the protein was sustainably sourced or responsibly farmed. Sustainably sourced seafood can easily be identified with the WWF’s “The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative” -or SASSI logo on the packaging.
Thai Mussels with Chilli, Ginger and Beer Broth
Ingredients
- 500 g mussels thawed, preferably still in their shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 spring onions white and light green parts only, sliced - reserve the dark green parts for garnish later
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger peeled, minced or grated
- 1 small Bird's eye or Thai red chilli finely chopped, seeds removed if you want it to be milder
- 1 small green Thai chilli finely chopped, seeds removed if you want it to be milder
- 200 ml Thai or any other beer
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 c Thai basil roughly chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak the mussels in ice water for 20-30 minutes and until completely thawed. Drain and transfer to kitchen towl.
- In the meanwhile, heat the oil and 1 tbsp butter in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until soft and translucent with a little bit of salt to help prevent the onions from browning, you only want to sweat the onions and garlic here - 3 minutes.
- Add the white and light green parts of the spring onions, along with the ginger, chillis and lemon zest. Cook for 2 minutes more. Turn up the heat to medium high and tip in the mussels. Stirfry for 2 minutes more to coat the mussels in the oil mixture. Add the beer and put on a tight sealing lid. Cook for 4 minutes, tossing the mussels gently every now and then, taking care not to fracture the shells.
- Once the mussels have opened, they are cooked. Discard any unopened mussels. Generously squeeze over some fresh lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper. Toss with chopped Thai basil and the dark green parts from the spring onion.
- Serve with crusty bread, wine or beer.
