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!
- Servings 4 generous servings
Ingredients
- 71 grams (5 tablespoons) butter*
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 16 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounce bottle of beer (Corona Extra or other)
- 400 grams (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) half n' half
- Salt
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1.8 kg (4 pounds) cleaned and de-bearded fresh mussels
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) chopped cilantro leaves
*Salted butter. If using unsalted, adjust salt to taste.
Preparation
- 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.
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Karla Richey
Karla is an avid gardener, artist, and amateur cook. She enjoys finding recipes and making them her own. Her taste runs more along the savory compared to the sweet.
Karla and her husband of 40 years live in Sylvan Lake, Michigan. Last summer they purchased a twenty-acre peach farm north of Torch Lake. Karla is a fan of the landscape designer Piet Oudolf, and is looking forward to adapting the open areas of their farm in that style, along with raised beds for vegetables for her recipes.
Read more from Karla Richey
The TASTER, became the TEACHER!
Looks absolutely heavenly!