Midye dolma

Ingredients

Mussels

• 24large Mediterranean mussels, alive and tightly closed, scrubbed and bearded
• Coarse salt, for scrubbing

İç pilav stuffing

• 250 gbaldo or short-grain rice, rinsed and soaked 30 min
• 150 mlolive oil
• 3onions, very finely chopped
• 2 tbsppine nuts
• 3 tbspcurrants, soaked in warm water
• 1 tspground allspice
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• ¼ tspground cloves
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsugar
• 2 tspsalt
• 300 mlhot water
• 2 tbspchopped dill or parsley

To serve

• 2lemons, cut in wedges

Directions

1. Scrub the mussels hard with coarse salt, pull off the beards and discard any that are cracked or that stay open when tapped. Only live mussels are safe to use.
2. Fry the pine nuts in the olive oil over medium heat until pale gold, then add the onions and cook 12–15 minutes until completely soft and sweet but not coloured.
3. Add the drained rice and stir 3 minutes to coat every grain, then the spices, sugar, salt and drained currants.
4. Pour in the hot water, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat 15 minutes. The rice should be about three-quarters cooked and still firm – it will finish inside the shells. Fold through the herbs and cool.
5. Open each mussel with a short knife along the straight edge, prising the shell apart but leaving the hinge intact so it works like a box. Rinse away any grit.
6. Spoon the cooled rice into both halves, filling generously but leaving room to close – the rice will swell. Press the shell shut, wiping the outside clean.
7. Pack them tightly in a wide pot in layers, weigh them down with an inverted plate, add 200 ml water, cover and steam on low heat for 20–25 minutes until the rice is fully tender and the shells stay closed under the weight.
8. Cool to room temperature – never serve them hot. Eat by prising a shell open, squeezing over lemon and using the top shell as a spoon to scoop out the rice and the mussel beneath.

Technique

• Midye dolma is street food eaten at room temperature, but shellfish and cooked rice are a real food-safety risk. Buy live mussels the same day, keep the finished dolma refrigerated and eat within 24 hours.
• The hinge must stay intact. If a shell snaps in two it cannot be steamed shut and the rice washes out.
• The spicing – allspice, cinnamon and a little clove – is the Ottoman iç pilav mix, the same used for stuffing poultry and vine leaves. It is what distinguishes it from any other rice stuffing.

Substitutions

• Where large mussels are unavailable, the same stuffing fills vine leaves as yaprak sarma and cooks the same way.
• Baldo rice can be replaced with arborio or another short-grain rice; long-grain will not give the right sticky body.

Variations

• A hotter Izmir version with pul biber worked into the rice.
• Midye tava – the mussels battered and deep-fried instead, served with tarator walnut sauce.

History

An Armenian and Greek Istanbul speciality, now sold from night carts across coastal Turkey by vendors who shuck to order.

Frequently asked questions

What is Midye dolma?

Midye dolma is a street food from Turkey: mussels stuffed with spiced rice, squeezed with lemon and eaten from the shell. An Armenian and Greek Istanbul speciality, now sold from night carts across coastal Turkey by vendors who shuck to order.

How long does Midye dolma take to make?

Midye dolma takes 1 hr of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (about 24 mussels). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Midye dolma?

Yes, within limits. Where large mussels are unavailable, the same stuffing fills vine leaves as yaprak sarma and cooks the same way. Baldo rice can be replaced with arborio or another short-grain rice; long-grain will not give the right sticky body.

What is the most important thing to get right in Midye dolma?

Cool to room temperature – never serve them hot. Eat by prising a shell open, squeezing over lemon and using the top shell as a spoon to scoop out the rice and the mussel beneath.