Red coconut-curry mussels
Extravagant but super-easy date night food.
Yesterday was our 13th wedding anniversary. Artie and I celebrated — at the end of a long day of work and parenting — by apologizing to each other that neither one of us had a gift, or card, and then collapsing on the couch. I had hoped to at least toast to our union with a cocktail, but I was so dead on my feet that I had a Nuun hydration beverage instead, which made me feel laughably middle-aged.
Don’t worry! After many happy years together we had a hunch this would happen, given that the date fell on a Tuesday during soccer season, so Saturday we booked a sitter, and snuck out for a fantastic dinner at Somaek, Jamie Bissonette’s new Korean spot by Boston Common. We slurped buckwheat noodles, gnawed on charred galbi ribs, sipped fermented rice wine, and appreciated that we are still each other’s favorite person to eat/drink/talk with.
I’m really burying the lede here, but in honor of Catherine/Artie dining history, and the time of year when date night might mean not leaving the house because it’s getting cold and dark, I’m sharing the ultimate easy date-night dish: Mussels in red curry coconut broth.
If you’re thinking, “Enough with the mushy stuff Catherine, get to the recipe already!” please keep scrolling, I will not be offended… but mussels are kind of our thing. When we first started dating we’d go to Patty B’s in Dover, NH to drink goblets of Navy strength gin & tonics, and soak up garlicky mussel broth at the bar. In 2007, when I was a senior in college, that felt like the height of grown-up sophistication. When we graduated and moved to Somerville, Artie was pursuing his PhD in Molecular Medicine, and I— as I’ve mentioned before — was astonishingly bad at waiting tables, so we were mostly living off of his measly graduate stipend. Artie would pick me up post-shift, and we’d bring our broke selves to the undisputed best neighborhood hang, Highland Kitchen, to recklessly blow my meager tips on house margs, and mussels in lobster-curry broth. It was peak early-20s luxury, and I regret nothing.
The Highland mussels were so good (still are!) that they inspired me to try making them at home. When I realized how inexpensive, quick to prepare, and delicious they are, they became a go-to in our dinner routine. After kind of forgetting about all this for a few years, I’m bringing them back, for date night, but also for family dinner.
I still won’t order mussels at at a restaurant I don’t feel really great about, 15 years after reading Kitchen Confidential. As you might know, in the book Anthony Bourdain confesses HE won’t order mussels unless he trusts the chef, knowing that you need to make sure, you know, the mollusks are actually alive before cooking them.
Lucky for you, it’s very easy to check at home — same system I point to in my clam chowder recipe — just scrub them, and be sure they close when tapped. If they stay open, toss them, along with any that have broken shells. And throw out any mussels that don’t open after cooking.
This recipe feeds two friends or lovebirds for a full dinner, or four people as an appetizer. Also, two normal adults for a full dinner who are reserving a few bites for gremlin children who are curious to try, but mostly here for the crusty bread.
Now go forth and impress yourself, and your beloved(s) by making mussels for dinner this week!
-Catherine
RECIPE
Red coconut-curry mussels
Serves 2 for dinner, 4 as an appetizer.
Feel free to double it up, just use a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid.
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds fresh mussels
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 bunch scallions (white and light green parts only), chopped
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 (13.5 ounce) can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional if you’re not a cilantro person ) for serving
crusty bread or steamed rice (for serving)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Rinse mussels under cold running water and pull off any stringy beards. Tap any mussels that remain open after rinsing. If they do not close, discard them, along with any that have broken shells.
2. In a medium sized pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste, scallions, and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Add the mussels, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Reduce heat to medium, cover and steam for 7 minutes, shaking the pot a few times.
4. Turn off heat, and discard any mussels that have not opened. Stir in chopped tomatoes, taste the broth and add salt and pepper, if you like. Garnish with cilantro, if using.
5. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or steamed rice.
Happy anniversary! I didn't know you were a Boston person! That makes me happy. <3
Recipe looks delish!