Blanca Valbuena

Mussels Recipe

I was very intimidated by seafood (especially shellfish) for quite a long time. Thankfully, a friend showed me how easy it is to prepare mussels and my fear is long gone. I made these the other day just with whatever I had in the fridge and they came out spectacular. Here goes:

Ingredients

2 lbs live Prince Edward Island Mussels (PEI)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 cups fish stock
1 cup chicken stock
2 stalks of celery (chopped) DO NOT SKIP THE CELERY – THIS IS THE SECRET INGREDIENT
2 tbsp butter

How to

Wash the mussels in cold water (scrub them and debeard them)
With a butter knife, poke any mussels that are open. If they close, they are ok to cook.
Pour the olive oil into a dutch oven and melt
Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes (do not let them burn)
Add the fish stock and chicken stock and bring to a boil
Add the mussels and celery
Lower the heat just a tad, cover, and cook for 6 minutes (until the mussels have opened)
Take the mussels out and put in a large bowl
Add butter to the liquids and whisk
Pour the liquid back into the mussels and  when done eating those delicious morsels, soak up with bread.