Mussels

[vengroff]

Lesley and Mark,

Thanks for the great recipes. I took the liberty of adding them to the eGullet Recipe Archive under your names. Feel free to edit them, or let me know if you disapprove in any way of what I have done, or wish me to delete them.

Here are the recipes for Moules Casserole and Mussels with Thai Basil and Chiles.

[Louisa Chu]

I have a chef - at school - who was the chef de cuisine at Le Dome - in Paris, at their peak - as well as at the major hotels down in Nice and Monaco - who just made mussels for us the other day - La Mouclade - who says at home he prefers to make them by heating a pot very hot, adding his impeccably fresh and perfectly cleaned mussels - and nothing else - covering, steaming just until they open, turning them out onto a warm platter - carefully pouring out all the juice over.

[bourdain]

So you grab some nice, fresh, clean mussels--wild if at all possible--PEI's okay if not...You sweat a little diced leek and shallot --a little bit of garlic in a pot in a little olive oil. Toss in some roughly diced fresh chorizo--the wet stuff that bleeds all that nice grease and spice into the oil as it begins to cook, when your oil starts to turn red from the sauzeech, add mussels, a good squirt of white wine, a handfull of ripe roma tomato concassee or diced filet....season with salt and pepper. Cover and hit the heat. When mussels are open--remove from flame and quickly swirl in a fat knob of whole unsalted butter (without breaking please). Dump in a bowl, sprinkle heavily with freshly chiffonaded Italian (flat) parsley and eat. Mop up the sauce with a rough hunk of crudely toasted country bread.

[Vikram]

I was in Madras on my birthday and my sister, who shares my food obsessions, knew the perfect present: she took me in the morning to a neighbourhood called Annanagar to the one shop run by a fisherman's co-operative where one can buy mussels.

There isn't much call for them in Madras, which is why they're only available in this one place. People in Madras are disappointly conservative when it comes to the fish they eat. A Bombay fish market is a wonderful sight with the range of fish and all the Koli ladies dressed to the nines and loaded with all their gold necklaces as they slice through huge surmais and rawas. This place just had big seer fish, which accounts for 90% of fish consumption, and a few smaller varieties and some baskets of prawns and crabs.

The only people who eat mussels in Madras - and I think the only community who eats them in India - are Malayalis from North Kerala which is where my mother's family comes from. Mussels, known as kalamakai or fruit of the rocks, are a devoutly prized delicacy with us, all the more so for the fact that no one else seems to like them. Even my sister's husband, who's roughly from the same region, quickly evacuated the house when we arrived with one dripping sackful.

Its possible that he left to avoid being dragged into cleaning. God knows that took forever and I can understand the fury of some of my aunts when a well meaning uncle managed to get several sacks of them as a special treat in the middle of a big family wedding. But once they were cleaned, de-bearded and then steamed in a pressure cooker for five minutes then.... the smell as you opened the cooker surpasses any descriptive skills I have.

The best thing to do with them would be to pickle them, but that would have taken too long and anyway, everyone in my family feels, melancholically, that no one does it as well as my great grandmother used to. Arrikaddaka is another way, where the shells are stuffed with a rice flour and spice mixture, but this is, to tell the truth, rather heavy. In the end, my sister just sprinkled them with turmeric and chilli and rock salt and after leaving them for 15 minutes, quickly stir fried them till they were crisp.

The result was blissful, but it did leave me wondering if there are other ways of cooking them Indian style. Once in Cape Town I had a delicious curry of them in an Indian restaurant called Perima's which used, if I recall correctly, a lot of mint, but the next day I have to admit I was rather sick which stopped me from going back to ask for the recipe. (Not that I'm blaming the mussels, or even if they were to blame, then occasional upset stomachs are a price worth paying for mussels). But does anyone else here have recipes or suggestions I can keep aside for the next time I'm in Madras?

Vikram

[prasad2]

But does anyone else here have recipes or suggestions I can keep aside for the next time I'm in Madras?

Vikram

Vikram

I must say you have lot patience and talent in writing and also probably a fast typer.

And it is not funny. Here I have two computers one is on line and the other I was working on a document creating my specials for the night. Believe it or not I am doing mussels as an app (kind of soupy too). Very light and simple with roasted cumin, coconut, shallots, green chilly, garlic, sea salt and fresh chopped coriander. I think it tastes great.

Mussels besides being prepared in Kerala, I thought Goa cuisine has it too. may be in Madras they should just steam mussels in some Rasam or Sambhar. An experimented recipe?,,,, you figure the rest.

[prasad2]

Vikram

Happy Birthday. On an other note on mussels do you find cockles in India?

[BBhasin]

Vikram,

Did you shell the mussells and then cook them??

bhasin

[Suvir Saran]

At Pondicherry in NYC, we served mussel masala which were made in a rassam broth. It was a huge hit and customers Indian and non would come back craving them.

[prasad2]

Vikram,

Did you shell the mussells and then cook them??

bhasin

Not quite, I guess you could, but the shells give a special flavor and you are cooking live mussels, closed shells and they open up while you are cooking, 6 to 8 minutes.

[BBhasin]

At Pondicherry in NYC, we served mussel masala which were made in a rassam broth.  It was a huge hit and customers Indian and non would come back craving them.

What a fantastic idea!

people keep creating all kinds of wierd concoctions for mussels but this one sound just wonderful.

Did they serve pieces of idlis ( like the italians serve bread) to soak up the rasam/mussel juices?

[prasad2]

Mussels besides being prepared in Kerala, I thought Goa cuisine has it too. may be in Madras they should just steam mussels in some Rasam or Sambhar. An experimented recipe?,,,, you figure the rest.

Ya lets try with Sambhar this time.

[Suvir Saran]

At Pondicherry in NYC, we served mussel masala which were made in a rassam broth.  It was a huge hit and customers Indian and non would come back craving them.

What a fantastic idea!

people keep creating all kinds of wierd concoctions for mussels but this one sound just wonderful.

Did they serve pieces of idlis ( like the italians serve bread) to soak up the rasam/mussel juices?

Sorry, no Idlis. But soup spoons and the customers loved drinking any left over rassam after they had enjoyed the mussels.

[anil]

At Pondicherry in NYC, we served mussel masala which were made in a rassam broth.  It was a huge hit and customers Indian and non would come back craving them.

I distinctly remember that - I did like it very much - Thank You

[Episure]

A Bombay fish market is a wonderful sight with the range of fish and all the Koli ladies dressed to the nines and loaded with all their gold necklaces as they slice through huge surmais and rawas.

Coincidentally named, Sitabai and Parvatibai are two such Lady fishmongers.

I forget which one is where but one is at Khar Market and the other at Khar Danda fishing village separated only by a few kilometers. They are typical of your description; fine saris, loads of gold jewellery, a regal bearing backed by strong biceps that wield mean choppers.

You cant miss them, they have the best catch, the biggest lobsters, mussels, clams, crabs, prawns and sometimes crayfish. Years of dealing with restaurant purchase managers have instilled them with keen marketing skills that would put a Luxury Hotel Manager to shame. Their mien says it all as they gaze at you eyeing their stock.

I try all my tricks with them like pretending to be interested in Crabs whereas I actually want to buy the Lobsters. Doesnt work, they know what you want and will stick to their prices. Phenomenal ladies, havent visited those markets in a few years, I hope they are still there.

Mussels I would make this or the other bivalves salad style:

Stir fry in a pan with a little oil; grated coconut, cinnamon and Tirfan/Triphla. Add Mussels, little water cover and cook till done and water has evaporated. Add finely chopped onion, green chillis, lime juice and salt. Depending on the time of the year serve hot or chilled and plated on a bed of ice garnished with sprigs of Mint.

My other choice would be steamed and shelled mussels in Champagne Cream with a dash of Pastis/ Pernod/ Ricard/Ouzo/Sambuca or a peaty Single Malt.

[Vikram]

On an other note on mussels do you find cockles in India?

Thanks for the birthday greetings. And yes, you do get cockles - the really small thin shelled ones which are called tisriyo here in Bombay would fit that description I think. Suvir, you must have eaten them with our common friend ARK - would you agree these fit the bill as cockles.

Whatever they are, they are utterly delicious. Despite my ancestral allegiance to mussels I have to say living in Bombay is winning me over to tisriyo as superior. They don't have the rubberiness that mussels can get and if they are much smaller, just tiny scraps of flesh in their shells, they are so flavoursome they make up for it.

They are generally cooked in two ways, Mangalorean and Malvani. Apoorvi restaurant does the Mangalorean way, with lots of grated coconut very well. Last Sunday I had them the other way, with coconut milk and Malvani masala at Sindhudurg where I was eating with friends, and I had no problems fighting to make sure I got most of the tisriyo!

We are also getting really good oysters now. Before one only got small ones, which were best eaten stir fried, though Malvani restaurants also make them with masala. But some guy in Kerala is now harvesting really excellent big oysters which can be eaten raw in a few places like Indigo. Bay of Bombay, now closed, used to have an oyster night where you could gorge on them in many different ways. I've tried to find where the guy is harvesting his oysters from, but its a big secret.

Did you shell the mussells and then cook them??

bhasin

The steaming in the pressure cooker (no weight on top) opened them up and then we cut them from the shell. The broth in the cooker smelled fabulous and can be used for a great stock, but in deference to my sister's husband who unaccountably can't stand the smell of mussels, we abandoned it. Maybe one could try making a rasam from it.

Mussels rasam does sound good - I've had excellent crab rasam at Raintree, the Chettinad restaurant at the Connemara Hotel in Madras. But sambhar? Wouldn't the tamarind clash with the mussels?

Vikram

[Suvir Saran]

Vikram, I think Tisriyo are cockle. But still far better than the cockles that everyone was going crazy about in Singapore. I did not have the pleasure of ARK introducing me to them though. You are luckier than I.

Vikram, some Chinese restaurants are serving Oysters with sauces and even cheese. They are quite good.

What kind of Masala are these places using with Oysters? Would you be kind enough to share more details? Thanks!

[Vikram]

What kind of Masala are these places using with Oysters? Would you be kind enough to share more details? Thanks!

Suvir, our friend Ashok Row Kavi has just given me the recipe. He says its the usual 3:2:1 masala that he's taught you, namely 3 portions of grated coconut (say half a coconut) to 2 hot dried chillies to 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste. Mix with a little water in a blender till its toothpaste texture (only ARK seems to use this particularly description!). Simmer for a bit and then add a pinch of asafoetida. Add drumsticks if you have them and 2-3 quartered potatoes (I've never had either in the restaurant versions) and simmer 15 minutes or so. Throw in shelled oysters and add salt to taste. Right at the end add a teaspoon of coconut oil. ARK says the curry should now turn red and add some chopped coriander leaves and its ready to serve,

Vikram

[Vikram]

Suvir, hope you're reading this thread, here's another Maharashtrian style of cooking oysters. I freely admit I haven't tried this, but I would trust the source even though it happens to be the back of the calendar in my cubicle!

Its not just any calendar though, but the English version of Kalnirnay, the calendar-cum-almanac-cum-monthly magazine (the content printed on the reverse of the page for that month) which is counted as India's largest selling publication with a print run, across its 27 editions, of 10 million copies.

If you're not already familiar with it, a Kalnirnay calendar is an absolute must on the walls of any kitchen in Western India, and increasingly other parts of the country as well. Of course, they even have a US edition now and the website, www.kalnirnay.com, thoughfully gives alternate timings of auspicious occasions in the almanac for different timezones depending on whether you're in NYC, Chicago or LA.

So as far as authenticity goes its unimpeachable, and in addition the publisher, Jayraj Salgaokar, is a great guy and a foodie so I'm betting the recipes will be good. (In the interests of full disclosure I should note that Mr.Salgaokar sent me a case of the most incredible Alphonsos this year and, while we're not usually allowed to accept such gifts, in this case, on compassionate grounds, my editor gave me a waiver. Also, I wasn't writing anything about them then).

Here's the recipe:

Maharashtrian Oyster Masala

Ingredients: about 50 medium sized oysters, 1 onion, 1/2 coconut, , 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, 1 inch ginger 5-6 cloves garlic, 1 tsp powdered garam masala, 1 tsp powdered red chilli, 1 1/2 tbsp oil, I kokum, salt to taste.

Oysters need to be washed at least for about ten minutes rinsing at least five to six times in water. Slit open the oyster shell with a sharp knife and separate the flesh so it sticks to one side of the shell, throw away the empty shell and retain the fleshy part. After all oyster are done keep aside. Shallow fry finely chopped onion, garlic (3 cloves), ginger and grated coconut in about 1 tsp oil. Add coriander leaves to this mixture and grind to a paste. This forms the masala. Heat remaining oil in a wok or kadai, chop remaining garlic cloves and add to the hot oil followed by the masala, powdered red chilly and garam masala, sauté mixture till oil leaves the sides. Add 1 cup water; kokum and salt (add salt sparingly as oysters are basically salty). Bring to a boil and add the oysters. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot. Oysters are usually accompanied with bhakris, chapattis or rice. They are traditionally made with lunch followed by the Konkani sol-curry (a cool curry made by mixing kokum and coconut milk). Oysters are rich in calcium and are generally good for all age groups. Form people suffering from high cholesterol levels or obesity, this preparation can be made without oil.

A footnote from me: I don't know if you've noticed a curious fact about all these shellfish recipes. They never seem to make use of the shellfish liquor, which seems a real waste.

Vikram

[bague25]

I live in the city that's signature dish is moules-frites (mussels & french fries). There are many ways of making them and this is my belgo-indian version:

Put the cleaned mussels in a pot cover and cook till they open (only a few minutes). Cool completely. In the meantime mix equal amount of butter to you favourite coriander chutney (add some garlic if your chutney version does not have some). Remove one of the shells on each mussel and lay them on a baking tray. Pour a blob of chutney butter (enough to cover the mussel meat completely). Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and seasoning (salt, pepper) and pass under the grill for 5 – 10 minutes or untilled breadcrumbs are golden and the butter is bubbling.

[bhelpuri]

Man, I am becoming a big fan of Vikram's food writing. It's addictive, I want the complete and unabridged multi-volume set!

Vikram,

I know I have some Goan mussels recipes somewhere around here, ask and I shall type them up for you.

[markk]

I love mussels. In two resraurants I go to, lately the mussel meats seem artifically plump, filled with air, with a fluffy, not a chewy, consistency, and the meats are rather large (and airy). They have no body to them, and no real mussel flavor.

Can anybody explain this? One is a restaurant that for years has been delivering exceptionally good mussels, the other a local place where now that I think about it, they've been like this more often than not. I do buy them at the market and make them myself from time to time, and they're not like that at all. Has anybody else experienced this? Can anybody else explain this?

[Carlovski]

I'm not sure, but as a rule small and medium sized mussels are better.

I know in the uk, for some reason we import loads of the large New Zealand geen lipped mussels, which I find inferior to local ones. Why I don't know, they are even proudly named on menus - suppose they sound more 'exotic'.

[helenjp]

I think the thing with the green-lipped mussels is 1) they're big, and 2) they contain various whatsits supposed to be very healthy.

Green-lipped mussels are only one of NZ's mussel varieties, and I find it tiresome that I can't easily buy blue mussels when I'm in NZ too. Sorry you are finding reduced choice in the UK too -- must be one of these aggressive alien species!

[Suzanne F]

I'm thinking perhaps it's seasonal -- that it might be mating time wherever the mussels were from and, like oysters, they have put their energy into being attractive to each other and not to us.

Or, to be more scientific (sort of): that it's a function of water temperature, and where/how they're grown. Farmed rather than gathered? Bred to be fat and happy because bigger is supposedly better? I don't really know (can't you tell? ) but it all sounds plausible to me.

FWIW: I bought mussels just last week (from Wild Edibles, in NYC), and they were pretty big and moderately flavorful.

[AndrewK]

I used to work as a fishmonger in Texas and part of our HAACP restrictions was that we weren't allowed to sell any mussels that were dead, EXCEPT for the Greenlips. Supposedly they contain less bacteria, so are safer to eat after they die, but I still didn't trust it. Also, New Zealand is pretty sexy right now and the hot place to be, with all the Lord of the Rings hype.

Andrew