Mussels with Beer & Cream

My husband always made mussels but I wanted to give it a go. I looked online and in a couple of cookbooks to get ideas of what to put in the recipe. I decided to blend the traditional white wine broth and the heartier ones I found, plus, I wanted to use what I had on hand.

Beer, half n’ half, and fire roasted tomatoes seemed to make sense. I also used up all my garlic and parsley…thus the amounts shown in the recipe. These turned out great!  I am saving the leftover sauce as a base for a salmon soup or stew. Yum.

P.S. My husband will not be making the mussels again!

1. 1. Heat a large deep pan over medium-high heat, then add the butter with the olive oil; stir until melted.

2. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Pour in the beer and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, to let it reduce a bit for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the half n’ half, reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 more minutes.

3. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste. Add mussels and stir once more. Cover the pan, and let the mussels steam over low heat for 5 minutes. All the shells should be open. If not give it a minute or two more.

4. Add parsley and cilantro, and stir to coat the mussels with the sauce. Serve in large bowls and ladle the sauce over each serving.  Makes 4 nice size servings of 1 pound each, give or take.