Crumbed Mussels

I had more mussels than I really wanted for my Thai Style Mussel Soup, so I put half a dozen aside to make a little tapa dish of garlic mussels in breadcrumbs.

Donna Hay included a nice recipe for crumbed lemon and chive mussels in her Dec/Jan 2008 magazine. (The donna hay magazine is always worth getting!)

Donna Hay’s crumbed lemon and chive mussels

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (50g/1¾ oz) fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• sea salt and cracked pepper
• 60g (2 oz) butter, melted
• 1kg (2¼ lb) mussels, steamed and top shell removed

Method

Place the breadcrumbs, lemon rind, chives, salt, pepper and melted butter into a bowl and mix to combine. Divide the mixture over the tops of the mussels and place on a baking tray. Cook under a preheated grill for 4-6 minutes or until the breadcrumb topping is golden.

When I saw the photo of these I decided I’d definitely like to try. Here’s my version – all my ingredients are scaled down because I only used 6 mussels as opposed to Donna’s 1kg.

Not Delia’s Crumbed Mussels

Ingredients

• a handful of fresh breadcrumbs
• a tablespoon of soft butter – enough to hold the mixture together
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• a couple of tablespoons of chopped coriander
• a few slivers of red chilli
• a splash of lime juice

Method

Exactly the same as Donna’s. Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Put a spoonful on top on each mussel. Place under a hot grill until golden brown.

Cook’s Note: If you’re not sure about how to cook mussels, please see Mussels – a shut and open case, which explains how to ensure your mussels are OK to eat.

Steaming the mussels is also the first step of making mussel soup.