Zimmy's Nook

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mussels

Steamed PEI Mussels in a Red Thai Curry Broth

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A top down image of Red Thai Curry Mussels in a skillet. A dish of hummus and veggies, shrimp, toast, olives, hot chilli sauce and a glass of wine surround the skillet

We love mussels because they are the most amazing vessel to enjoy any type of flavourful broth! The half shell is the perfect spoon shape to collect the ideal mouthful of broth with the tender mussel meat. This quick, easy and affordable recipe uses a store bought Red Thai Curry Paste to effortlessly infuse the broth with so much flavour!

Ingredients
  • 2 pounds (907g) fresh PEI mussels, rinsed and beards removed
  • 13.5 ounce (400ml) can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) red Thai curry paste (store bought)
  • 1.5 cups (355ml) of fish stock (homemade, canned or cube)
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) brown sugar
  • 3 bird’s eye chilies, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1.5” (4cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
  • 1 kaffir lime leaf (or peel from 1/2 a small lime)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, washed, dried and chopped
Preparation

In a large saucepan or skillet with a lid, simmer the coconut milk and curry paste over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the fish stock, brown sugar, chilies, ginger and lime leaf, stir and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the mussels to the pan, cover with a lid, raise the heat to high, and steam.

2 pounds of mussels will take 5 – 7 minutes to cook, but timing will vary depending on the heat, how much liquid you use, and the size & shape of the pan. Mussels are ready when shells are open and you can see the plump tender meats.
Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with some fresh crusty bread for dipping in the wonderful broth — It’s that simple!

A close up of red Thai curry mussels.
A top down image of Red Thai Curry Mussels in a skillet. A dish of hummus and veggies, shrimp & calamari skewers, toast, olives, hot chilli sauce and two glasses of wine surround the skillet

Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Serves: 2

These mussels were served with toast for dipping, warm olives, grilled shrimp, grilled calamari and hummus with griddled veggies.

Hope you enjoy my Red Thai Curry Mussels recipe! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

These red Thai curry mussels were made (and served) in my Hestan 11″ NanoBond Skillet and on my Hestan 36″ gas grill in Pacific Fog.

Proud Hestan Culinary  & Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.

Spicy Mussels and Shrimp “Soup”

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A beautiful copper pot filled with mussels, shrimp, lemons and kale. This pot is surrounded by a bowl filled with this soup, a wooden bowl of chili peppers, wine, wine glasses, lemons and a loaf of bread.

Spicy Mussels and Shrimp “Soup”

Have a little fun around the dinner table as you get your hands dirty digging into bowls full of deliciousness! We LOVE mussels in a flavourful sauce, but it’s sad to see the sauce left in the bowl or pot, then discarded. So, I’ve added broth, kale & shrimp and turned mussels, into “mussels & shrimp soup!” No one ever leaves soup in a bowl, so problem solved!

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 shallots, diced
  • 2 long chilies, thinly sliced (red or green)
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
  • 2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
  • 1 bunch curly kale, chopped
  • 2 cans (398 ml/13.5 oz) diced tomatoes (or 1 can 796ml/27 oz)
  • 2 1/2 cups stock (chicken, vegetable or seafood – no salt or low sodium)
  • 2 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed, de-bearded*
  • 12 large wild shrimp, shell on, deveined (see cook’s note)
For serving
  • Crusty bread, 1/2-inch thick slices
  • 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges
  • Hot sauce (optional)
Preparation

Heat a 5 quart pot, pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Add oil and lower heat to med-low. Next, add the shallots, salt, chilies and cook until soft. Add fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Raise heat to med-hi, add wine, cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chicken stock, bring to boil. Next, add cilantro & kale, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add mussels, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add shrimp, nestle them into the liquid. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes more. Discard any mussels that do not open. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Bring the whole pot to the table and let everyone scoop small portions at a time. Serve mussels with bread for dipping, lemon wedge and hot sauce (if using). Don’t forget a bowl for the discarded mussel & shrimp shells.

Cook’s note:

I like using shrimp with the shell on as it adds additional flavour to the broth. Since we eat the mussels off the shell, scooping up broth, we are getting our hands dirty anyway, so we peel the shrimp as we eat. If preferred, peel shrimp before cooking.

*De-bearding simply means removing the seaweed-like fibers found sticking out of the shell. I pull them off when scrubbing them clean.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serves: 4

Hope you enjoy my Spicy Mussels and Shrimp “Soup”! We would love to hear from you, please leave us your feedback in the comment box below.

Have a delicious day! James (aka Zimmy) & Elaine

This recipe was made (and served) in my gorgeous Hestan CopperBond Induction Copper 5qt Essential Pan and on my Hestan Dual Fuel Range.

Proud Hestan Culinary  & Hestan Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.

Mussels & Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Mussels and shrimp in a Copper pan with glasses of procecco, bread, lemons and herbs surrounding it.

Mussels & shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce. Onions, roasted garlic, white wine, chicken stock, Peperoncini Piccanti, spicy sausage, tomatoes, finished with green onions, lemons & parsley.

Been too long since we’ve had mussels… we’ll be having them again soon!

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1/2 medium onion, Diced
  • Hot Portuguese Chouriço (approximately 6”), diced
  • 4 roasted garlic cloves, minced (or 2 raw)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine 
  • 1/2 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • 1 tablespoon Peperoncini Piccanti (chopped hot peppers in oil)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
  • 1 – 28oz can Italian tomato purée
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • 2 pounds live mussels, cleaned and beards removed
  • 1 pound large wild shrimp, shell on
For serving
  • Lemon wedges
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
  • Crusty bread
Preparation

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion & sausage and cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute, scrapping the pan clean. Add the stock, Peperoncini Piccanti, tomato paste, tomato purée and pepper and bring just to a boil.

Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, 15-30 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt, pepper or Peperoncini Piccanti to taste.

Stir in the mussels and shrimp, raise heat to medium, cover and cook until the mussels open, 4 to 6 minutes; discard any mussels that do not open.

Sprinkle with onions & parsley and serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

In addition to this Mussels & Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato Sauce recipe, you can find more of my favourite seafood recipes here.

Cooked and served in my Hestan Culinary CopperBond 3.5 qt. Sauteuse

Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.