Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 14 min
I love Stroud and its small-town values, but when I make a road trip to Oklahoma City, I stock my cooler with lots of ingredients I can’t get so easily at home. Mussels are one of those things. They’re bursting with flavor and so inexpensive, plus they’re glossy black shells are just gorgeous heaped into a bowl. And, they couldn’t be simpler to make!
Paired with chorizo and tomatoes, they take me back to my days as a cruise ship purser sailing the seas and eating exotic foods (at least they were exotic to me back then!) in every port of call.
Why not bring a little exotic into your weeknight routine? I’ll tell you one thing—cooking mussels yourself is a heck of a lot cheaper than booking a cruise to the Mediterranean!
Mussels
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, finely minced
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
One 12-ounce bottle lager-style beer
4 ounces finely diced Spanish-style chorizo sausage
1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
Garlic toasts
1 baguette, cut into ½-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the broiler. Adjust the oven rack to the top position (about 3 inches from the heating element) and heat the broiler to high.
Steam the mussels. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the lager, chorizo, tomatoes, parsley, smoked paprika, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook, stirring two or three times, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size. Toss any mussels that do not open.
Make the garlic toast and serve. While the mussels cook, arrange the baguette slices on a sheet pan in a single layer. Combine the butter and garlic in a small bowl and brush the mixture onto the baguette slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil until browned and crisped, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide the mussels and broth between the bowls and serve right away with the garlic toasts.
