Saturday, January 17, 2015

FFwD - Curried Mussels with Shoestring Fries


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Curried Mussels, a wonderfully delicious twist on the classic Moules Marinières.




In general, mussels are not expensive at all and plentiful. In the wild, they grow on coastline rocks and stones but the majority of mussels available around here are farmed in suitable coastal waters. Mussels are considered as one of the most environmentally sound types of fish or shellfish available.




Mussels are at their best in the colder months outside the breeding season. When you shop for mussels, you should always select those with tightly closed shells, avoiding any that are broken. Plump, juicy flesh and a delightful taste of the sea is what you are looking for once they are cooked. The color of the mussels is not indicative of quality, orange flesh tells you the mussels are female, while a whiter hue suggests males.




When preparing mussels, you should always eat mussels on the same day you buy them and make sure to discard any that stay open when tapped. Clean and debeard them (pull away their beards) and, if you are presenting them in their shells, it is a good idea to give them a good scrub. A number of rinses in cold, fresh water will ensure you are serving a sand- and grit-free meal.




Mussels require very short cooking time. And Dorie´s recipe is quickly put together. Using a large, heavy-based pan, all you that is required is a sautée of onions and shallots in some good-quality butter, then you add some curry powder and sautée some more to take the raw spice taste off. Then some sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. You add about a cup of a dry white wine, fresh thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf. Then you  place the mussels in the cooking liquid and turn up the heat to steam them for a few minutes. As soon as the shells start gaping open, you know they are ready. Make sure not to overcook them or you will end up with rubbery flesh. Discard any that fail to open fully. For the sauce, I decided against straining the solids, as we prefer the more rustic version. As a final touch, you can add some cream to the cooking liquid, which I do not really find necessary but it is a tasty option, of course.




Mussels are delicious with a wide array of flavors. Steaming them in vermouth or white wine, along with shallots, garlic and a few herbs, is traditional in a number of European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. While we never had curried ones before, we loved the way these tasted.




The cooking liquid or sauce is always half the joy of eating mussels, so have plenty of crusty bread and shoestring fries, on stand-by, for soaking up and munching on – while you ponder the ease of getting a perfect little bistro-style supper on the table in no time and ask yourself all the while whatever took you so long to make this incredibly delicious recipe!




To see whether the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed this week´s recipe, please go here.

For copyright reasons, we do not publish the recipes from the book. But you can find the recipe for “Curried Mussels“ on pages 314-5 in Dorie Greenspan´s cookbook "Around my French Table".



40 comments:

  1. Delectable.
    Delicious.
    Amazing.
    Superb.
    I do not have enough adjectives for this wonderful feast.
    All I need is some nice red wine. xxx

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    1. Dear Kim, very kind of you - thank you so much! How nice to read that you enjoy this post - we loved the food and I certainly enjoyed putting this together!

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  2. I just love your picture-perfect bistro style supper. I enjoyed the sauce rustic as well. While you're right that the cream is a lovely touch, it certainly made it something special. And those shoestring potatoes! I adore them. Did you make your own? I'll admit that I bought mine frozen and heated them up in the oven. I love how you served them in French mugs. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend!

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    1. Dear Betsy, I did make my own fries, following this easy recipe:
      200 grams (7oz) potatoes, peeled, finely shredded
      vegetable oil, for deep-frying
      salt
      Half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with vegetable oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped in sizzles and turns golden-brown in 30 seconds.
      Rinse the potatoes and pat dry with kitchen paper.
      Deep-fry the potatoes for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt.
      That´s all - love them and so does the rest of the family.
      Thank you so much for your kind comment - makes me quite happy to read that you enjoy this post, it was a fun recipe.
      Andrea

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  3. Oh, so wonderful paired with the shoestring fries! You've made me very hungry!!! Hope you're having a terrific weekend, Andrea :)

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    1. Dear Liz, I know that your hubby would not have enjoyed Curried Mussels and I feel lucky that my taste testers were utterly delighted with this dish (they surprised me a bit though).
      Thank you very much for stopping by,
      Andrea

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  4. Hi Andrea, I agree the cooking liquid is half the joy, love the use of the fries. Very interesting, the difference between the males and females. Great meal!

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    1. Cheri, we loved this recipe and we always enjoy mopping up all the cooking liquid/sauce whenever I make mussels, it is so very delicious and so much fun to eat!

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  5. I just adore how you presented your mussels, with the French fries in the lovely French-themed mugs and the blue checked napery. I feel like I am in a French restaurant by the seaside - which is a very good thing indeed.

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    1. Gaye, ah, that feels nice, thank you - so kind of you to let me know that you enjoy my pics for this post - somehow mussels always call Bistro to me and then they always seem to be such a perfect match for French or shoestring fries.

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  6. Hello Andrea, your meal looks perfect! Love those individual cups for the awesome, thin, and golden colored fries. I do love mussels! Hope you are well!.

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    1. Peggy, I am well, thank you - the Curried Mussels with those shoestrig fries were well received and I loved putting this post together.

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  7. I just checked the other comments. I can't believe you made your own French fries! They look absolutely perfect. Mussels aren't my favorite , but the sauce and fries together would be a perfect meal for me. I'm glad you all enjoyed this one!

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    1. Jora, the fries are no bother at all - they are done in a flash when they are this thin. When I made them for the first time a few weeks ago, I could not believe how easy they were.
      Thank you very much for your kind comment - hope Charlotte is thriving!
      All the best,
      Andrea

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  8. Never mind the mussels. Those FRIES!

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  9. Beautiful dinner and those fries look amazing! I see that you explained how you made them for Betsy above, so thank you! Glad you all enjoyed them!

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    1. Katie, thank you very much - these fries are so very easy to make and the kids cannot get enough of them - good, more reasons to make them agian!

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  10. I was a bit too distracted by those beautiful fries! I love them like that, nice and skinny with a mix of really crispy ones in there. My husband prefers thick ones. The only thing we can agree on is that they are best served with mayo:-)

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    1. Rose, at our house we have settled on one thing, we love those thin and skinny fries, crunchy and salty and all - no mayo, just plain but really good French sea salt on top!
      Liebe Grüsse nach Frankfurt,
      Andrea

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  11. I do wish it were easier to get mussels in the desert! We would eat them more often, for sure. While I make a curried mussel hors d'œuvres, I haven never steamed them in curry. I must try this, especially using one of my own curry blends. Someday, I will try frying my own potatoes.... I promise! Liebe Grüße! David

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    1. David, ah, those fries - no need to make them though, you can always eat some at a Restaurant - I understand the issue about that open kitchen but when it comes to mussels I simply cannot help myself - for me, mussels and fries just go together like pepper and salt...
      Liebe Grüsse,
      Andrea

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  12. Oh Andrea...I love the pictures of the mussels and the shoestring fries under the sunny day...so tasty with curry...I like mussels but never cooked it myself. In regards to fries, I like the crispy ones...
    Thanks for this beautiful post...have a wonderful week :)

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    1. Jluina, what a nice comment - thank you very much - I was always scared of preparing mussles but once you have the cleaning part down pat, you are all set to go ahead make a big bowl, share with the ones you love and, best of all, enjoy with fries!
      Andrea

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  13. I never knew the female/male difference between mussels although I thought I was very familiar with most shellfish. I suspect many of our mussels are farm raised here also. I preferred the rustic version of the sauce also. It just seems that "smooth and silky" and mussels do not work together. I have had curried mussels in Sanary-sur-Mer but didn't find them to my liking. But I very much enjoyed this recipe just as you all did. Now let's talk about the pommes frites. I am hoping that everyone got their own mug so no one had to share. They look exactly like the pommes frites served a Mon Ami Gabi, one of my favorite French restuarants on The Strip in Las Vegas. (That's a compliment, Andrea). I already understand from earlier comments that you made them yourself. I would expect nothing less. Again, your pictures are gorgeous. Somehow mussels are very photogenic, aren't they? Wishing Thomas the best of birthdays with a happy and healthy year ahead with all his flock of females! xox

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    1. Dear Mary, I just make those fries myself beause there are a cinch to make, honest - the kitchen has a little bit of a greasy-spoon joint-smell afterwards and so does my clothing but you know how it is, you want good food, you have to make a certain number of sacrifices. I do take your lovely comment as a compliment, of course...
      And I will tell Thomas about your kind birthday wishes - Imken made such a cute drawing yesterday and we will be off buying gifts and ingredients for food and favorite cakes today!
      Lots of hugs,
      Andrea

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  14. Thanks for all the information on mussels, I learned a lot. Still don't like them though. Your french fries look great! I am going to try this dish with shrimp. Your outside photos always look so nice. Have a great week.

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    1. Diane, mussels just seem to be an acquired taste - we had a lot of then at home but one of my sisters never liked them and never ate them - the rest of us enjoyed them quite a bit. It is a love-hate thing, I guess. So many other nice shellfish out there to enjoy.
      Thank you for the kind comment,
      Andrea

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  15. Sehr informativ! Diese Art von Muscheln findet man hier nicht so oft, woher weiss man, ob sie wirklich frisch sind... Clams sieht man dagegen überall...
    Unglaublich, wie ein einfaches Gericht so festiv und koestlich aussehen kann. Ich kann mir auch vorstellen, dass diese duennen Fries durch die Knusprigkeit auch noch schmecken, wenn sie schon etwas abgekuehlt sind (nach der Fotosession :-) Einen lieben Gruss!

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    1. Liebe Wally, unsere Kinder denken, dass sogar kalte Fritten gut schmecken - ich bin da ein wenig anderer Meinung und habe die doppelte Portion gemacht - einen Haufen fürs Foto, den anderen zum Essen...so ist das fast immer...the things we do for a good picture...Hatte Glück mit dem Wetter - dafür schneit es heute vor sich hin!
      Herzlichen Dank für deinen lieben Kommentar und viele Grüsse,
      Andrea

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  16. Would you believe I've never, ever tasted a mussel? Well, this is exactly how I want my first plate of mussels to be!
    Andrea, your family eats to well, thanks to your creativity. There's a lot of love in cooking good food for people you care about.
    Hope your week has started smoothly. xo

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    1. Colette, hard to believe actually but it is never too late to get started (but you knew that alreday. of course...). we used to eat a lot of mussels at home and I already loved them as a kid and somehow it did not surprise me that the kids adored this recipe!
      Thank you so very much for your kind comment - hope all is well with you and your family,
      Andrea

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  17. Oh yum I haven't had mussels for ages, you have inspired me to make some this weekend. PS I love the mugs - what an imaginative way to serve chips.

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    1. Karen, so nice to hear from you - those darling mugs were waiting for their minute in the spotlight for months now - this was a fun way to showcase them.

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  18. Looks delicious, Andrea! And your photos are lovely.

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  19. Yum Andrea! I don't really like mussels but your description and photos may have changed my mind. And those fries.... oh my, they look wonderful!!

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    1. Chris, there are mussels and then there are mussels - you might have liked them served this way...who knows?! Be that as it may, I might gotten your attention with those fries after all!
      Thank you for stopping by - hope you and hubby are doing well! I saw you are cooking up a storm with lots of new creations these days,
      Andrea

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  20. I wish that I could get fries that looked that great at a restaurant! Beautiful.

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    1. Dear Cher, thank you so much - fries are always good but they are eeven better with mussels!

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