Mussels are inexpensive, quick to cook and fun to share. They’re also very good for you. Mussels in a Coconut Curry Broth are subtly flavored with lemongrass, ginger and garlic. As the mussels cook they release their sea flavors creating a wonderful broth that the coconut milk and curry enhance. Serve them as a starter or as a main meal with some crusty bread, steamed jasmine rice, or like I have, some crispy rice rounds.
Jump to RecipeHave you ever noticed when eating mussels some are orange and some are white and creamy? The orange are the females, the white are male. Mussels can be farmed or wild. The farmed, apparently, have little to no detrimental impact on the water around them.
Remember when the word “superfood” was all the rage? There was a lot of focus on vegetables and ancient grains, not that they’re not good for us, but little about proteins such as mussels. Mussels are one of the best foods you can eat: keeping your heartbeat regular, lowering blood pressure, and helping keep blood vessels healthy. Mussels are rich in the marine Omega-3s, EPA and DHA. If you are trying to lose weight, mussels give you a lot of nutrition without a lot of calories. One of the stand-out nutritional highlight of mussels is vitamin B12. Mussels contain over 9 times the amount of vitamins B12 than beef and nearly 5 times more than salmon. Mussels contain nearly 3 times the amount of riboflavin than salmon and nearly twice that is found in chicken.
Cobalamin—better known as vitamin B12—benefits your body in many ways. These include helping your body produce energy, boosting memory and mood, making red blood cells and DNA, and improving your heart health. Vitamin B12 is water-soluble, and your body can’t store it in fat tissue. As a result, you need to get this vitamin from food. Sources of vitamin B12 include clams, beef, chicken, salmon, milk, eggs, fortified nutritional yeast and MUSSELS!
Other mussel recipes on Fresh Hunger: Mussels in Sherry Basil Cream Sauce, Thai Basil Mussels and Shrimp Stir-Fry.
MUSSELS IN A COCONUT CURRY BROTH
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs – 3lbs live mussels in their shells
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1- inch piece of ginger, thickly sliced
- 14 oz can coconut milk
- 3 lemongrass stalks, white and tender green parts only, bruised to release flavor
- 2 to 3 small red chilies, diced, plus extra chilies to garnish
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- A pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup Thai basil leaves, extra leaves for garnish
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, extra leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, plus wedges of lime for garnish
- rice rounds cooked in a little oil until crisp, to serve
Instructions
- When you get the mussels home from the store, empty them into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add a handful of ice and place a sheet of damp paper towel over the top of them. Do not wrap them in plastic, thye need to be able to breathe. Place in the fridge and use within 24 hours. Just before cooking, discard any mussels that don’t close when you tap them. Give any mussels with heavy beads a clean and remove beards; set aside.
- Heat the oil and garlic in a deep, large frying pan or a wok over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the ginger, coconut milk, lemongrass, chili, sugar and fish sauce; stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes to infuse the broth.
- Add the mussels, to the pan and stir. Cook, covered, stirring once or twice, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mussels are just opening, give the mussels another good stir. Turn off the heat. Taste the broth and add salt to taste.
- Add basil, cilantro and juice; stir to combine. Discard the ginger and lemongrass along with any mussels that didn’t open. Serve garnished with more chili, lime wedges, basil and cilantro leaves. Serve with rice paper crisps or crusty bread.