Stuffed mussels
A cold weather treat for two, make sure you choose nice big mussels to make it worth the effort
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Prep:30 mins
Cook:4 mins
- Serves 2
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 657
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fat 55g
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saturates 29g
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carbs 17g
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sugars 2g
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fibre 1g
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protein 25g
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salt 2.26g
Ingredients
- 24 very large live mussels
- 1 thick slice bread from a day-old loaf
- 25g/1oz walnut halves
- 100g butter, cubed
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan
- 3 tarragon sprigs, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
- small bunch curly parsley, roughly chopped
Tip
Mussels know-howMussels are available all year, but at their best in cold weather. British mussels, in particular, are farmed in an environmentally friendly way and will come with a certificate of traceability. They’ll last for five days in a bowl under a damp piece of paper in the salad compartment of the fridge. Don’t store them in water or keep them in a plastic bag or they’ll die. It will cost £2-£3 for 24 large mussels.
Method
Scrub the mussels really well and remove the beards. Discard any with damaged shells and those that don’t shut tight when tapped on the edge of the sink. Rinse well. Put all the mussels in a medium saucepan and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Place over a high heat and cook for 2 mins, shaking the pan halfway, until all the shells have steamed open but the mussels are only just cooked. Discard any that don’t open. Tip into a colander and leave to cool.
Tear the bread into rough pieces, put in a food processor and blend into crumbs. Rub the walnuts between your hands to remove some of the papery skins. Add the walnuts, butter, garlic, lemon juice and Parmesan to the crumbs. Season with a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Blitz until all the ingredients begin to blend. Add the herbs to the stuffing and blend until combined with the butter.
Heat the grill to its hottest setting. Take each mussel and carefully prise off one half of each shell. Drain away any excess liquid. Place the mussels in their remaining shells on a small baking tray. Using a teaspoon and your finger, divide the stuffing mixture between each mussel shell, making sure the mussel itself is fully covered. Place the tray fairly close to the grill and cook for about 2 mins until the stuffing is pale golden brown and the mussels are hot and surrounded by the melted butter. Transfer the shells to 2 plates and eat straight away.
