Mild garlic-butter mussels
New matching recipe inspired by CHAT-0254's flavor discussion; all quantities and method are newly supplied, not recovered or kitchen-tested.
- YIELD
- 2 main servings or 4 seafood-boil side servings
- PREP / WAIT
- 15 minutes
- COOK
- 8–12 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lb live cultivated mussels from a certified seafood seller
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 1 cup water or unsalted seafood stock
- 1 tsp mild seafood seasoning
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
Method
- Keep mussels refrigerated until ready to cook. Rinse shells under cold running water, scrub off grit and pull off beards. Discard broken shells and live mussels that do not close when tapped.
- Melt butter in a large lidded pot over medium heat. Cook onion 3–4 minutes until softened; add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add water or stock and mild seasoning, bring to a boil, then add mussels and cover.
- Steam 5–7 minutes, gently shaking the covered pot once. Cook until shells open and meat is cooked through; check 145°F with a thin probe where practical. Discard mussels that remain closed.
- Stir in lemon juice and optional parsley. Serve immediately with the broth, or alongside a seafood boil.
Notes & storage
- This is a new small batch to try the briny, garlic-butter flavor discussed in CHAT-0254; that conversation did not contain a recipe.
- Frozen precooked mussels need their package's reheating instructions and are not interchangeable with live mussels in the selection step.
- Refrigerate cooked mussels and broth promptly at 40°F or below; use within 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F.