Infuse your mussels with bold and aromatic Thai flavors with this coconut Thai mussels recipe.
More from The Endless Meal
Occasionally, they will be sold on ice. However, they need to breathe, so make sure that they are not submerged in water.
A few rules for buying mussels
Smell: Mussels should smell briny, like the sea. If they smell bad, don’t buy them. Shells: The shells should be tightly closed. If a shell is open, give it a firm tap on the counter. If it closes, it means it’s still alive and safe to eat. If it doesn’t close, don’t buy it. Don’t buy mussels if their shells are cracked. Ice: If you’re more than a short walk from your grocery store, ask the fishmonger for a bag of ice to help keep the mussels cold on your drive home.
Storing cooked mussels
If you have leftover mussels, you can store them to eat later. Put them in a covered container and keep them in your fridge for up to 2 days. But please don’t reheat leftover mussels! Trust me, this is not something you want to do. Instead, top them with a little finely minced onion and tomato and a squeeze of lime juice or a little sherry vinegar and serve them cold on the half shell. They’re delicious this way! Working with one mussel at a time, rinse the shell under cool running water and scrub it gently to remove debris. Keep the bowl of mussels on the counter, as you don’t want it to fill with water. If the mussel has something that looks like hair (see the picture above), this is called the beard. It’s a bit of the rope that it was grown on and should be removed before cooking. To remove the beard, or de-beard the mussels, grab the beard and pull it towards the tail (narrow) end of the mussel. Most of the time it will come out with a firm tug. If not, you can cut it with a pair of scissors as close to the shell as possible.
Mussels: The star of the show! Follow my tips for selecting the best mussels. Other ingredients: Butter, shallot, garlic cloves, bay leaves, black pepper, white wine, lemon juice, minced parsley. Optional: Heavy cream.
You’ll notice there is no salt listed. Mussels release saltwater into the cooking liquid as they steam, so the dish will be plenty salty already!
Which white wine to use for cooking mussels
Mussels in white wine sauce taste divine, no matter what bottle you grab. I tend to reach for a different bottle each time I make mussels, and the results are always great. For mussels, a drier white wine will complement the flavors well. Look for Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.
Baked Parmesan Rosemary Shoestring Fries Garlic Dill French Fries
To make this a super easy dinner recipe, simply serve the mussels with some crusty bread on the side to soak up that delicious sauce. Or get a tiny bit fancy and make garlic bread. To round out the meal, serve mussels with a spring mix salad. If you want a slightly fancier salad, here are my top picks:
Bacon Kale Caesar Salad Crispy Kale Salad with Roasted Beets Roasted Broccoli Salad with Lemons and Almonds Asparagus Salad with Reduced Balsamic Vinegar Arugula and Wild Rice Salad
Did you make this?
We love to see what you made! Tag @theendlessmeal or hashtag #theendlessmeal!
