First time cooking mussels, and they turned out really well, but it ended up being a lot ickier than I thought. I was so silly, I didn’t realize that mussels have to be alive when you cook them! So, you have to check for dead ones by tapping the shell: if it closes, it’s alive; if it doesn’t it’s dead. What made the experience even more memorable was the lovely squelching sound they make as they periodically open and close. Mmmmm

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs fresh mussels (I used vacuum-sealed, and it worked out really well.  No debearding – removal of a thin, sticky membrane known as a ‘beard’ – or scrubbing required, although, I did rinse them in cool water.  If you do have to scrub and debeard, just Google it.  There are oodles of sites with instructions.)

1-2 shallots – diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp garlic butter

1 tsp salt

3/4 to 1 tbsp garlic powder or 1 clove fresh garlic (I had no fresh garlic on hand, and powdered worked just as well)

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 cup dry white wine

METHOD

Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the shallots until they are that nice almost melting consistency.  A medium setting on your burner should be sufficient.

Add the salt, garlic butter, garlic powder and curry powder to the shallots to create the sauce.

In a separate wok, steam the mussels in the white wine for about 5 minutes.  A medium-high setting on your burner should be sufficient.  Mix in the sauce and steam the mussels for another 5 minutes.

Voilà!  Delicious curry mussels!