Garlic & herb mussels
Ingredients
1 kg fresh mussels (Australian)
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 cup white wine
4 cloves garlic, finely diced or crushed
¼ cup dill, roughly chopped
¼ cup parsley, chopped
Zest of one lemon
extra virgin olive oil
Method
Wash mussels and remove beards.
In a heavy based saucepan large enough to fit all the mussels (and has a lid) cook half the onions in a little olive oil until soft.
Turn up the heat; add the mussels, the white wine and cover. Shake from time to time until the mussels have opened (about 4 minutes).
Strain mussels and reserve the liquid. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve lined with muslin to ensure you remove any sand. Set aside.
Remove most of the mussels from their shells (checking to see that the ‘beard’ has been removed) and reserve a few nice looking ones in the shell.
In a fry pan add the remaining onion, carrot and celery with a little olive oil and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved liquid and simmer until it is reduced by half. Add the mussels, lemon zest and herbs and simmer until warmed through. Drizzle with olive oil and season with cracked pepper. Serve warm with crusty bread.
