Building up Mussels

"What's that?" I hear you ask, "another mussel recipe? So soon?" Well, yes, another mussel recipe.  Another spicy mussel recipe, to boot.  But I'm going to let you into a little secret.  While I am a veritable human dustbin, Andy is a little more, shall we say, selective, in what he eats.  That's right - the girl who happily chowed down on centipede kebabs and tofu brains is married to someone who would fall on the more particular end of the spectrum than non-particular.  That's probably one of the many reasons he's so lovely and slim and I'm not, but that's a discussion for another time.  I adore him and love cooking for him, especially when he grows to enjoy something that had previously been written off.  

Now mussels weren't a "never" dish, but they'd be a "once a year dish".  The spicy mussels we ate on our road trip were a bit of a turning point - like me, Andy is a full-on spice addict, and realising then how well mussels took to our beloved chillis was an eye-opener.  And so it now conspires that we've eaten mussels three times in four weeks.  We use the huge NZ Green lip mussels now, but this would work just as well with the smaller European mussels.   

I don't seem to have a great survival rate on mussels though (good job they're so cheap) - anyone have any tips on keeping them alive?  I do as directed and keep them drained but not dry, out of the plastic bag.  I wonder is my fridge too cold?  There is a big block of ice growing daily like an aggressive cell in the corner, which could be the culprit.  

These Thai mussels were a great spicy wake-up call for the taste buds.  I might half the amount of coconut milk next time though; Moules Mariniere have no close competitors when it comes to dipping a hunk of bread in the leftover juices, and so too much of this for my liking went to waste.  A small price to pay, though, for enjoying a huge bowl of these bad boys with a newly adventurous eater.

Thai Style Mussels

1kg Greenlip mussels, cleaned 

3 spring onions, chopped

2 sticks of lemongrass, chopped

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 green chillis, chopped

Handful coriander leaves and stalks

Sunflower oil

400ml tin coconut milk

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 red chilli, finely sliced

Discard any mussels that don't close immediately when tapped.  

In a food processor, blitz the spring onions, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, green chillis and coriander roots.  With the motor running, add a splash of water to bring it all together.

In a large pan with a lid, heat the oil.  Add the paste from the food processor and fry for 3 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.  Stir to combine, check for balance and add more of these flavourings as needed until the sauce tastes harmonious.  Bring to a boil, add the mussels, reduce the heat.

Put the lid on and cook for 4 minutes, until most of the mussels are open.

Discard any mussels that haven't opened after cooking.

Scatter the red chilli and coriander leaves on top as a garnish, and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Roadtrip with added Spicy Mussels

When we first moved to New Zealand, high on our to do list was to buy a Campervan. When we first met, in Australia in 2006, we took a trip in a Camper up the East Coast. Three years later, en route to NZ, we repeated the same trip in reverse. We are head-over-heels in love with the Campervanning lifestyle - it's as close to camping as I can be comfortable with.  And so a couple of years ago, we welcomed the newest member of our little family. Nicknamed Wilson for reasons long forgotten, he's a 1991 Toyota Hiace and has given us sterling service. Sadly, a subsequent move close to the sea has meant a significant rust problem, and he ain't getting any younger, so we are determined to make the most of owning the van while he's still ours. Last year we did a big trip round the South Island but this year, having just done three winters back-to-back, we were sun-starved and longing for the subtropical North.

And wowzers, we had such a lovely time.  11 days of sunny, warm bliss, a thousand miles figuratively away from the city and its stresses. It's been an ambition of mine for some time to make it right up to the very top, to Cape Reinga, so that's what we did. We nearly got blown away - and we thought Wellington was windy!

We ate really, spectacularly well in our 11 days away, including some notable meals out.  At Mangonui Fish Shop we ate Fish and Chips with the most perfectly designed view. If Carlsberg did Fish and Chip Shops...

Another biggie for me was getting to Leigh. The name of my hometown in England is Leigh and, well, let's just say that the differences between NZ warm, seaside, charming Leigh and English northern, industrial Leigh are considerable. Leigh is famous for its Sawmill, which in turn is famous for music and food. I ate more fish there - it seems to be my default option whenever I'm by the sea. The only let down with this meal were the crushed potatoes, which were quite dry. Nevertheless it's a great place to eat if you're in Leigh (never thought I'd type that sentence).

By a long shot though, the best food that we ate was the food we cooked ourselves. I often think that, and by no means are either of us the best cooks in the world (no, honestly!). Just cooking what you feel like, when you feel like it, using fresh ingredients, and eaten in the open air next to your beloved Campervan with a glass of wine - well, there are no words. So I won't even attempt it.  Who knows how long we will have our van for? I certainly don't, possibly only the mechanic and the bank manager know for sure. But whatever the future holds, I will be able to recreate these meals again, and pretend we're right back there, in the sun.

This was my favourite dish, cooked by Andy.

Mussels in tomato and chilli sauce

From The Great Bloke's BBQ Cookbook, Kim Terakes

Use your own palate and preferences to dictate the amount of chilli you use. The original recipe calls for the sauce to be blended until smooth, but a blender isn't a tool we carry with us, so he left it chunky. I wouldn't change this next time I make it.

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 onion, sliced

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 chillies, chopped

1kg Greenlip mussels, cleaned and any open shells discarded

6 basil leaves, finely sliced

6 parsley leaves, finely sliced

Black pepper

In a large pan with a lid, heat the oil over a high heat and fry the garlic and onion until soft. Add the tomatoes and chillies, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are mushy. 

Turn the heat back up to high, and add the mussels, putting the lid on immediately.  Cook for 3 minutes, shaking the pot from time to time.  Check that the mussels have opened - cook for a minute or so longer if most haven't. Add the fresh herbs, black pepper, and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Serves two blissed out campers.