Green Curry Mussels

So, I still had some mussels left over from the Japanese Noodle Soup I made last night. After checking the cupboards, I realized I had enough ingredients to make this recipe, based on an appetizer we had at Leunig's Bistro in Burlington, VT a while back.

Start by inspecting your mussels. I used just short of 2 lb. Rinse them, debeard (pull the hair that is hanging out, if there is one) and discard any which are broken or will not close when tapped (these ones are probably dead and should not be eaten). Rope-cultured mussels are best as they tend not to have any grit in them.

Mince 1 clove of garlic, a small 'finger' of ginger (peeled), and dice 1/4 onion. Sweat in oil until softened. Stir in just over 1 tbsp Thai green curry paste (usually found in jars in the Asian section of the supermarket) and cook for about 1 minute. Add about 1/4 cup white wine, stir to mix the paste in and turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Add the mussels and cover the pan. Steam until all of the mussels have opened (you can remove them as they open if you wish). Discard any mussels that do not open (but give them a chance to do so), and remove them to a clean bowl and keep warm.

To the sauce in the pan, add 1/2 can (7 floz) coconut milk (shake the can before opening) and about 1/4 cup of cream or half and half. Allow to simmer and reduce for a few minutes until thick. Add a little lime juice, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste.

To serve, pour the sauce over the mussels in bowls. Garnish with shredded mint, basil and sliced scallions. This would be great with some jasmine rice, but I ate it with some bread.

Note 1 - If you don't have any white wine, you can substitute an equal volume of water.

Note 2 - Vary the herb garnish as desired based on what you have available. Cilantro would also be good.

Note 3 - Metric info: 2lb = 900g; 1/4 cup = 60 ml; 7 floz = 200 ml.