Mussels: two crackers for your repertoire

Mussels have all the theatre of oysters without the steep price tag. These dishes showcase just how versatile and delicious they are.

A little bit fancy: saffron mussels. Picture: Guy Bailey

Mussels are a mollusc with shell appeal. They have all the theatre of oysters without the steep price tag, the sweetness of scallops with less risk of overcooking, plus no shell-grit to purge. They’re also super sustainable and relatively easy to source locally – even from most supermarkets. Allow 400g-500g of mussels per person.

Saffron mussels

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, sliced

2 inner sticks celery, diced

4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

1 pinch saffron

½ teaspoon caster sugar

1 cup (250ml) white wine

1 heaped tablespoon sour cream

2 cups (500ml) good quality vegetable or chicken stock

1.5-2kg mussels, cleaned

½ cup parsley, roughly chopped

½ cup coriander, roughly chopped

1 lemon, zest and juice

Crusty bread, to serve

Heat a large, heavy-based lidded pan on medium heat until you can feel the warmth radiating at a safe distance. Add olive oil, leek, celery and garlic, sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the leek is super soft and smells heavenly (if it starts to brown, splash in a tablespoon of water and drop the heat a little). Meanwhile, grind the saffron with sugar in a mortar and pestle, or use the back of a teaspoon to help break up the strands with the sugar for friction. Once the leek is sufficiently softened, splosh in the white wine and saffron sugar and crank up the heat to cook off the alcohol and reduce the liquid by half. Spoon in sour cream and cook for a minute before adding stock. Cook down the liquid on a medium-high heat until it starts to get thick and jammy. Drain mussels of any excess juice and tip the lot into the screaming hot pan; they will instantly release more juice to make a deliciously deep and briny broth. Place the lid on and shake the pan occasionally for 4-5 minutes or until all of the mussels open, scatter in the fresh herbs and lemon zest and juice. Place into deep serving bowls and serve with crusty bread. Serves 4

Grilled mussels with picada crumb

Grilled mussels with picada crumb

1.5kg-2kg mussels, cleaned

50g blanched almonds

4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 thick slices (100g) fresh or stale sourdough bread, with crust

Pinch of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

½ cup parsley, finely chopped

½ cup coriander, finely chopped

To make the herby almond crumb, in a small food processor pulse almonds, garlic, bread, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil until a rough crumb forms; toast on medium heat in a large heavy-based frypan until golden. Toss through fresh herbs and set aside. Meanwhile, tip mussels into a large lidded pan with ¼ cup of water and crank the heat to high. As soon as the mussels steam open (2-3 minutes), take them out of the pan and place them on a tray lined with kitchen towel. Once the mussels have cooled, pull the top shells off and transfer to a baking tray. Sprinkle some crumb onto each mussel and drizzle with olive oil. Grill on high towards the top of the oven for 1-2 minutes until the crumb is golden. Serves 4-6

TOP TIPS

Most mussels you’ll find at the shops are farmed, which means it’s enough to give them a quick rinse in a colander rather than do any serious scrubbing. If yours are a little too dirty, scrape the barnacles off and give them a good wash before cooking

The crumb dish can be made up to a day in advance. Take it out of the fridge half an hour before topping, grilling and serving

Use the crumb with any molluscs, from larger oysters to scallops on the half-shell. Freeze any leftover crumb and use as soup topping, over pasta or the next time you make this dish