Pan-Roasted Mussels with Garlic and Almonds
This pan-roasted mussels with garlic recipe was first submitted by Chef Sam Hayward of Fore Street in Portland, ME, and quickly became a staff favorite.
Pan-Roasted Mussels with Garlic and Almonds
Photo Credit : Heath RobbinsThis pan-roasted mussels with garlic recipe gives a nod to French and Spanish cuisine, but the orange nuggets of cold-water mussels coaxed from their blue-black shells are all about the briny seas around Coombs Island in Maine.
The recipe originally ran in the May 2008 issue of Yankee, and was submitted by Chef Sam Hayward of Fore Street restaurant in Portland, Maine.
Yield:
4 servingsIngredients
4 pounds live blue mussels (preferably wild Maine)
4 ounces (about 2 cups) whole almonds in skins
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 medium-size shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup hard apple cider, such as Farnum Hill Semi-Dry
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare mussels; discard any that are broken, slack, or too heavy (filled with mud). Remove beards and scrape barnacles and limpets. Rinse well and set aside.
On a baking sheet, roast almonds 4—5 minutes or until fragrant. Cool, and chop by hand (or pulse in a food processor) to consistency of coarse meal. Set aside.
In an ovenproof metal gratin dish or skillet (large enough to hold mussels in one or two layers, no more) over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add shallot and garlic and cook 2—3 minutes. Add cider and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add herbs, almonds, salt, and pepper.
Raise oven temperature to 450°. Arrange mussels in one or two layers over cider/almond mixture. Cut remaining butter into half-inch pieces and distribute over mussels. Roast 3—4 minutes. Stir to baste. Repeat until mussels have opened and butter sauce is creamy and fragrant (don’t overcook). Serve directly from pan with coarse-textured, crusty bread.
