Thursday, April 02, 2009

Mussels in Apple Cider Recipe



Take note - this is the first time I've blogged about a mussel dish, as well as first time I cooked mussels. But the resulting dish was a great success, and according to everybody who tried this, the recipe is definitely worth sharing. So that's what I'm doing :)

I served this on one of our semi-regular Scrabble nights, and we drank regular and almost alcohol-free French cider alongside this. It was a very good night indeed..

Mussels in Apple Cider
(Siidriga aurutatud rannakarbid)
Serves 4 as a starter or a light meal



1 kg fresh, live mussels
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
50 g shallots, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
1 lemon
300 ml (about 1 1/4 of a cup) dry French cider (we used Cidre Brut de Normandie)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Clean the mussels carefully under cold running water. Throw away any mussels that are broken or that don't close when tapped gently.
Heat oil and butter in a large wide saucepan. Add shallots and garlic and sauté gently, stirring all the time, for about a minute.
Add apple cubes and cook for another minute or two.
Add cider, the grated lemon peel and lemon juice and thyme. Bring to the boil (NB! no need to season with salt).
Now add the cleaned mussels, shake the saucepan a few times and cover with a lid. Cook for about 2 minutes, then shake the mussels again. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until all mussels have opened (throw away the few stubborn ones).

Serve the mussels with the cooking broth, garnish with some extra thyme. Some white ciabatta-style bread would be a perfect accompaniment for mopping up the cidery juices..

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Particolarissimo questo abbinamento di cozze con mela e sidro,non l'ho mai provato .Io abito in una città di mare dove ci sono tante cozze ,la provereò al più presto questa ricetta,molto originale!

Anonymous said...

ok-oo. Sa ikka jõuad palju. ;) Peab vist Tigusse aja kinni panema, suu jookseb vett...
Jõudu! K Pellenovelle

Anonymous said...

Oh I love mussels, have to write this recipe down. Looks terrific!

Kat said...

Paistab täiesti finger licking good. Mina teen ka siidriga (http://foodgoodtoeat.blogspot.com/2007/09/sinikarbid-nii-ja-naa-mussles-with-two.html) ja minumeelest see on palju maitsvam kui veiniga. Ma olen veel lisanud creme fraiche. Imehea.
Kuidas muidu kastvate :) ?

Claudia said...

I knew I had seen something cooked in apple cider recently. Was re-reading your post on El Bulli and scrolled down, to voila. For Easter dinner I was given a 7 lb Sirloin bit of meat, not the best grade, as well as a few bottles of cider. Without thinking too much I poured the contents of one on it, topped with some dehydrated onions, covered and roasted 3 hrs. It turned out surprisingly well. So, belatedly thanks for the inspiration. My husband doesn't eat much in the way of shellfish, so can't try it with the mussels :(

Unknown said...

The best mussels you can find in Greece, Olmpiada Halkidiki Anastasiou (Αναστασίου Βασίλειος) http://www.mydia-anastasiou.gr

Jon Hall said...

I found this recipe on my phone, after seeing some very nice looking mussels in a market in London. I'd just like to say thanks - it's only the second time I've ever cooked fresh mussels and I'll definitely be doing so again.

For a big main course for two people I used about a kilo and a half of mussels, and some very rustic west country dry cider straight from the barrel (I don't like drinking the stuff but it cooked superbly).

Great stuff, thanks!