Mussels are one of the most popular types of seafood, along with shrimp. In addition, they are considered to be quite affordable financially across different product markets. This means that you can either try mussels in a restaurant or cook them in your own kitchen. And the second option will turn out no less tasty. This product itself has a very memorable taste, but at the same time works well with other ingredients. Among other things, mussels are very beneficial for human health. There are probably enough reasons to try cooking them.
How to choose and prepare seafood?
Since mussels themselves are self-sufficient, most often the process of preparing them is simple and the same. But what you can experiment with are dressings and sauces. Thanks to them, you can change the taste or add a “zest” to a dish. First you need to figure out which mussels are best to buy and what the basic cooking methods are.
Although this product is available in abundance on the market, not all people know how to choose it correctly. In fact, this issue is easy to understand. Mussels can be sold peeled or in shells. There is not much difference which one to buy. The peculiarity lies in the cooking time. The shells take longer to cook. But untreated mussels are easier to check for freshness.
When cooking, the shell should open within 4-6 minutes. Otherwise, the product is expired and is not recommended to be consumed.
Peeled mussels cook much faster. They only require rinsing under cold water and are ready to go into a pan of boiling water. You can find out how fresh mussels without shell are by carefully examining them. Unpleasant odor and gray or green spots that differ from the main color of the meat are unacceptable.
There are a few more important points.
- Check shells to ensure they are not physically damaged or cracked. Buy only whole mussels.
- Before consumption, any seafood should be thoroughly washed. It’s even better to leave them in cold water for 30 minutes; if sand remains inside, it can ruin the dish. This is especially important when buying shelled mussels.
- On average, mussels take about 5-7 minutes to cook. You should follow the recipe carefully so as not to spoil the result.
It is always better to give preference to fresh mussels, but if this is not possible, then, following the recommendations, you can always find a good frozen product.
Sauce recipes
There are plenty of sauce options for this seafood. There are simple ones and popular ones, many of which are often used in restaurants around the world. There are rare ones designed for specific taste preferences. In any case, each of the recipes can be changed and adjusted to suit you so that the dish suits you and your family and is delicious. Below are some interesting and tasty options.
Mussels in sour cream sauce
To prepare, you need to clean and boil the seafood. The mussels will cook for no more than 5 minutes. Separately, chop the garlic and mix it with sour cream. The amount of sour cream depends on the amount of the main product. Add spices to taste and herbs to the finished sauce, and you can spread it on the mussels.
In soybean
In this recipe, the product is fried. First, place a piece of butter and a crushed clove of garlic on a heated frying pan. Behind them, mussels are laid out and fried over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates. Next, all the ingredients are poured with soy sauce and stewed, allowing the meat to absorb the sauce, for about 10 minutes. The dish itself can be served with bread, fresh vegetables and herbs.
The recipe is similar for teriyaki sauce.
In sweet and sour
There are two variations in this recipe. If you buy ready-made sauce, then proceed as with soy sauce. But you can prepare this dressing yourself. You will need lime or lemon for sourness, and peanut butter or honey for sweetness. So, add peanut butter to the pan along with chopped onions. Let the flavors meld and add the main ingredient. When all the liquid has evaporated under the lid, the dish can be removed from the heat. The last detail is adding lemon juice.
In marinara sauce
It’s quite simple to prepare a dish with ready-made dressing by frying seafood with marinara in a frying pan. Prepare the sauce yourself as follows: fry the garlic with olive oil, then add tomato puree, oregano, parsley and grated cheese. All ingredients are simmered for about 20 minutes over low heat. If the sauce is too thick, you can add water or white wine, as well as spices to taste.
In mustard
Another dressing option is mustard sauce. To prepare it, you need to mix one tablespoon of honey, lemon and mustard, as well as four tablespoons of mayonnaise. You can add olive oil, finely chopped onion or garlic. Pour this marinade over the already cooked meat and let it brew for a couple of hours. The dish is ready to be served.
With pesto sauce
The difference between this method is that the seafood is cooked in a special broth. It is made from dry white wine, wine vinegar, water and chopped onion. Cook the meat in this mix for 4-5 minutes. The dressing itself is a mixture of basil, garlic, cream cheese and a glass of mussel broth.
For quick results, it is better to use a food processor.
You can serve the dish with fried bread.
Dish with buzara sauce
This is an Italian variation of the preparation, and in another way it is called “mussels in tomato sauce" It all starts with oil and garlic in a frying pan. The next step is to add a chopped bunch of fresh parsley and the shells themselves. If there is not enough moisture, you can add wine or water. Last come the cherry tomatoes and spices. Now the sauteed mussels are stewed for about 20 minutes and served with crackers.
With bechamel sauce
Blanch the mussels in white wine with lime juice and pepper for 3-4 minutes. Then turn off the burner, but leave the seafood in the marinade for another half hour. For bechamel, flour is mixed with milk, salt and pepper. All this is boiled for about 5 minutes, and then the mixture is filtered to avoid lumps. Pour the prepared sauce over the meat and season everything with herbs.
French
This is a recipe for mussels with blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola. Seafood is fried in a separate container along with white wine. In the other, soft cheese and onions are melted. Next, cream and spices are added to the sauce. The finished mixture is poured onto the mussels and everything is mixed well.
Seafood in wine sauce
The recipe is very simple: mussels are fried in a mixture of olive oil with garlic. When the shells open, it's time to add the wine. The product is stewed in red wine for up to 10 minutes. During this time, all the alcohol has evaporated and the meat is ready for consumption.
Spicy mussels
The main ingredient is Tabasco sauce, which is why you can often hear the name “mussels in spicy sauce.” If you have seafood with shells, then you need to wash them and separate one of the wings; we will no longer need it. A mixture of grated cheese, mayonnaise, tobiko caviar and spicy sauce is placed on top of the raw meat. Afterwards the shells are baked at 200 degrees for 10 minutes.
In oyster sauce
Bell peppers with onions or garlic are fried in a frying pan in vegetable oil. Then mussels are laid out there and filled with oyster sauce. Since this dressing itself is salty and piquant with an admixture of other spices, no additional salt or pepper is needed.
In lemon marinade
And for a snack the last one is very easy recipe. Boil the mussels in a saucepan for a few minutes. After this, they are laid out in a separate bowl, where half of the chopped lemon and lemon juice, spices and parsley are added. Let the meat marinate for a couple of hours and you can try it.
If you are just getting acquainted with this seafood, then one of the sauce options can be a great start. All of them do not require much time or expensive products.
Three recipes for baked mussels are presented in the following video.
We have been preparing mussels using this recipe for four years now. I really like the unique combination of mussels and sour cream. It's easy and quick to prepare. Ingredients available.
We always buy frozen or boiled-frozen mussels, peeled, either in a pack or by weight. This time they took it by weight.
In addition to mussels, you need onions and sour cream, these are the main ingredients, the rest is to taste.
For 0.5 kg of mussels, take 250 g. sour cream and 2-3 medium-sized onions.
But, if you want more sauce, then take 360 g of sour cream. Sometimes my husband adds a little water to make the sauce thinner. But I like it less, it tastes better without water.
If you like onions, then you can add more onions, like we did.
So, first let's defrost the mussels a little, since sometimes there is a lot of ice on them, and ice gives off excess water. There is no need to defrost completely.
While the mussels are defrosting, cut the onion. Then pour odorless vegetable oil into the pan and fry the onion a little.
Then put the mussels in a frying pan and simmer for 7-10 minutes from the moment of boiling (if the mussels are boiled and frozen, then 3-5 minutes is enough).
Then pour in the sour cream, mix everything and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
Don't forget to add salt and pepper to taste.
You can boil horns or spaghetti as a side dish.
If desired, you can add a clove of garlic, parsley or sprinkle with cheese.
This time the sauce turned out liquid because we added a little water.
Bon appetit!
– an original and delicious dish that will amaze you with its spicy taste and pleasant aroma. Let's try to cook it together and plunge into the delights of exotic cuisine.
Recipe for mussels in garlic sauce
Ingredients:
- mussels – 25 pcs.;
- lemon - for decoration;
- spices.
For the sauce:
- butter – 50 g;
- olive oil - to taste;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- dry white wine – 100 ml;
- garlic – 5 cloves;
- cream – 200 ml;
- spices.
Preparation
First, let's prepare the sauce with you. So, put a small piece of butter in a frying pan and melt it over low heat. Then pour in a little olive oil. Peel the onion, chop and saute until golden brown in a frying pan. Now pour in white wine, simmer for a few minutes, and then add cream and cook for 3 minutes until thickened. Peel the garlic, squeeze it through a press and place it in a frying pan. Season the sauce with spices, mix everything, cover with a lid and turn off the heat.
After that, let's get to the mussels: rinse thoroughly and place on a towel to remove all excess moisture. Next, transfer the seafood to a baking sheet and put a little sauce in each shell. Sprinkle the mussels with grated cheese, cover with foil and place in the oven, heated to 200 degrees, for 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes. That's it now, the mussels with garlic sauce are ready! Place them on a plate and garnish with lemon slices.
Mussels in creamy garlic sauce
Ingredients:
- frozen mussels – 500 g;
- cream – 200 ml;
- butter – 30 g;
- Provençal herbs - to taste;
- garlic - to taste.
Preparation
Peel the garlic and finely chop it with a knife. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add finely chopped garlic, reduce the heat and simmer for exactly 1 minute. Wash the thawed mussels, dry them and add them to the pan. Season everything with spices, throw in a mixture of Provençal herbs, stir and after 10 minutes carefully pour in the cream. Simmer the seafood further until the sauce thickens, adding a little flour if necessary.
Mussels in sour cream and garlic sauce
Ingredients:
- mussels – 500 g;
- sour cream – 200 ml;
- vegetable oil – 1 teaspoon;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- spices.
Preparation
Throw salt, chopped dill and mussels into a pan of boiling water. Boil the seafood for about 3 minutes, and then carefully drain it into a colander and leave to drain. Then fry the mussels over high heat for a couple of minutes, transfer them to a baking dish and fill them with the pre-cooked mixture. To do this, combine sour cream with chopped garlic, spices and herbs. Place the dish in a well-heated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, setting the temperature to about 200 degrees.
Mussels in tomato-garlic sauce
Ingredients:
Preparation
So, first, let's prepare the slow cooker and all the ingredients. To do this, peel and chop the garlic. Pour a little oil into the bowl and heat it on the “Fry” mode. Then add the garlic and fry for exactly 1 minute. After this, lay out the tomato pulp, pour in wine vinegar, stir and cook for another 10 minutes on the same program. Next, add hot pepper, ground cumin and salt to taste. At the very end, add mussels and chopped sage to the sauce, close the lid of the device and simmer in the “Steam” mode for 15 minutes, until cooked.
Mussels are very popular all over the world due to their high taste and high content of nutrients. The dietary meat of these seafood is filled with vitamins, microelements and essential amino acids. In addition, delicious, healthy dishes made from them, for example, mussels in creamy garlic sauce with cheese, are also quite easy to prepare.
Preliminary preparation of shellfish
Before you start cooking, you need to prepare the seafood. Regardless of the form in which the shellfish will be prepared, it must be washed thoroughly. You need to clean the shells of sand, algae and growths before cooking. It is best to use a stiff brush. After this, the mussels are placed in boiling salted water, covered with a lid and cooked for about 5 minutes, shaking occasionally. The shells should open. If this does not happen with any shellfish, it is better to throw it away.
After cooking, the meat is easily removed from the shells. If you are using boiled-frozen mussels, there is no need to peel or pre-cook them.
Cooking mussels
There are many recipes for preparing mussels, because they can be boiled, baked, or marinated. This shellfish goes well with any food. And, perhaps, the most delicious mussels are obtained in combination with a variety of sauces. These delicious dishes will decorate any menu.
Tender mussel meat soaked in cream or sour cream has an amazing taste. This simple recipe involves baking the clams in the oven along with the shells.
Ingredients:
- mussels (do not remove from shells) – 300 g;
- cheese (any hard type) – 100 g.
- For the sauce:
- onion – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- wine (dry white) – 100 ml;
- oil (preferably olive) – 1 tbsp. l.;
- butter;
- dill or parsley;
- salt, pepper - at your discretion.
Preparation:
First you need to make the creamy garlic sauce. The recipe is quite simple.
- Heat butter in a frying pan, mix with olive oil.
- Finely chop the onion and fry until the vegetable acquires a light golden hue.
- Pour wine into the pan and simmer for about 2 minutes until evaporated.
- Add cream and bring to a boil, remembering to stir.
- At the end, add salt, black pepper to taste, herbs and squeezed garlic. Stir, cover and remove from heat.
The fragrant creamy garlic sauce is ready!
Let's start preparing the main dish.
- Rinse the clam shells and dry with a paper towel.
- Place the shells on a baking sheet and pour the prepared sauce over each one. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven at 200°C, covered with foil. Then sprinkle with grated cheese and put back in the oven for 5 minutes - this time without foil, to form a crispy cheese crust.
Place the finished appetizer on a large flat dish. You can additionally decorate it with lettuce leaves. Mussels in creamy garlic sauce with cheese go perfectly with white wine.
The recipe can be simplified by using frozen clams without shells.
The cream can be replaced with sour cream, and the mussels themselves can be fried in a frying pan.
Ingredients:
- mussels – 300-400 g (frozen);
- onion – 1 pc.;
- sour cream – 150 g;
- vegetable oil, salt, pepper.
Preparation:
Mussels prepared in this way are best served with spaghetti.
Mussels are no less tasty when combined with tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- mussels – 300 g;
- garlic – 1 clove;
- oil (preferably olive oil) – 1 tbsp. l.;
- wine (dry white) – 100 ml;
- tomato – 3 pcs.;
- thyme, rosemary - 1 sprig each;
- salt, ground pepper - at your discretion.
Preparation:
- Chop the tomatoes and grind them in a blender.
- Transfer the tomato puree into a small saucepan and simmer.
- Grind the boiled pasta through a sieve, add salt and spices.
- In a frying pan, heat the oil with sprigs of herbs, add the garlic cut into slices.
- Pour wine into the pan. Simmer a little.
- Add the mussels and fry for a few minutes until the alcohol has completely evaporated.
- Pour tomato sauce into the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Serve separately as a hot appetizer or with spaghetti.
Note: selection of mussels
To make the dish really tasty, you need to know how to choose the right shellfish. In stores you can now find mussels in a wide variety of forms: live, frozen and boiled-frozen, peeled and in shells. The choice must be made depending on how exactly you want to cook them. It is most preferable to take live mussels, but you must remember that the product is perishable. You should pay attention to the integrity of the sink and its smell. In addition, the clam should not be too heavy. If you don’t want to bother with cleaning mussels, take boiled and frozen ones.
Such a savory dish as mussels in creamy or tomato sauce does not require special culinary skills or a long time to prepare. But it will certainly delight you with its exquisite, subtle taste and add a special – exotic and at the same time elegant – charm to any meal.