Serves 6
2 lbs fresh mussels
2 cans coconut milk, shaken
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and quartered
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 large sweet onion, diced medium
2 large shallots, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp yellow curry powder, divided
½ cup water
½ cup fish stock
1 to 2 Tbsp red curry paste salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro
6 thick slices baguette, grille
Mussels in Coconut-Curry Broth
Preparation
Place mussels in a colander and rinse under cold water, gently scrubbing dirt and external particles from shells. Remove broken mussels. Many recipes advise discarding open mussels. Instead, tap on the shells of open mussels or pinch to close a few times. If the mussel is still alive, it will close back up, so don’t be immediately discouraged by an open shell.
Remove beards, the thread-like fibers hanging out of the flat edge of the shell, by holding the mussel in one hand and grasping the beard with a paper towel with your other hand. Gently wiggle the beard up and down while slightly pulling toward the mussel hinge. Discard beards.
Place clean mussels in a bowl, then set that bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. Refrigerate until ready to cook. In a medium mixing bowl, place coconut milk, garlic, tomatoes and serrano pepper. Mix well and set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed pan set over medium heat, add butter and oil. When butter is melted, foamy and bubbling, add scallions, onion and shallots. Cook until slightly translucent. Turn heat down to low and add 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder. Add the coconut milk mixture and stir to combine. Raise heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Add water, fish stock and red curry paste. Simmer another 5 minutes. Add remaining
yellow curry powder and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove mussels from the refrigerator. Have a lid ready for the pot with the coconut-curry broth. Add mussels to the pot, slightly raise the heat and cover. In 4 to 5 minutes, remove the lid to check the mussels. If they have opened, gently stir them and turn heat to the lowest setting. If there are still a few closed mussels,
cook for an additional few minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
Serve in a large bowl, garnish with cilantro and pair with slices of grilled French bread.