Ingredients
Mussels
- 2 kggreen-lipped mussels
- or 2 kg live mussels
Steaming
- 50 gbutter
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 8garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 mldry white wine
- or 200 ml fish stock
- 1chilli, chopped, optional
To finish
- 200 mldouble cream
- a large handful of parsley, chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- black pepper
For grilling instead
- 60 gbutter, softened
- 4garlic cloves, crushed
- chopped parsley
- breadcrumbs
- grated cheese, optional
To serve
- crusty bread
- lemon wedges
- a cold white wine
Directions
- Discard any one that stays open. Discard any with a cracked or broken shell. Discard any that smells strongly of ammonia. Never gather wild shellfish during a closure. Check official notices before collecting any. They grow there for about eighteen months. Rinse the mussels under cold running water. Scrub the shells with a stiff brush.
- Pull the beard away sharply towards the hinge. Do it shortly before cooking, not hours ahead. Melt the butter in a very large pot. Add the chopped onion to the pot. Cook it for about five minutes.
- Add the crushed garlic and the chilli. Cook them for one minute only. Pour in all of the white wine. Let it boil hard for two minutes. Tip the cleaned mussels into the pot. Put the lid on it immediately. Turn the heat right up to high.
- Shake the pot every minute or so. Give them about five full minutes. Take them off as soon as most are open. Discard any that stayed firmly shut. Lift the mussels out into warm bowls. Pour the cream into the cooking liquid. Let it bubble for two minutes. Squeeze in all of the lemon juice.
- Add the chopped parsley to it. Season it well with black pepper. Pour the liquid off carefully. Leave the last of the liquid behind. Use mussels on the half shell. Mash the butter with garlic and parsley.
- Spoon a little onto each mussel. Scatter breadcrumbs over them. Add grated cheese if you want it. Grill them under a very high heat. Give them about four full minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the steamed mussels. Serve crusty bread for the liquid. A cold white wine goes alongside. Use an empty shell as tongs for the rest. Put a bowl out for the empty shells. They do not keep at all well once cooked.
Technique
- Live mussels must be alive going in: tap any open shell and discard it if it does not close within a few seconds, discard cracked shells, and discard any that stayed shut after cooking.
- Shellfish accumulate biotoxins from algal blooms that cooking does not destroy, so never gather wild shellfish during a New Zealand public health closure; farmed and commercially sold mussels are monitored, which is what makes them safe to buy.
- A lipid extract of the mussel is sold worldwide as a joint supplement, but research evidence is limited and results across studies have been mixed, so it is not established as an effective treatment; anyone with a shellfish allergy should avoid it.
Substitutions
- Ordinary blue mussels steam the same way, though they are smaller.
- Fish stock stands in for white wine in the pot.
Variations
- Half-shell mussels grilled with garlic butter and breadcrumbs are equally common.
- Some cooks add coconut cream instead of dairy cream.
- A chilli and tomato version is served in many New Zealand restaurants.
History
Farmed on ropes in the Marlborough Sounds since the 1970s, they are also processed into an extract sold worldwide as a joint supplement.
Frequently asked questions
What is Green-Lipped Mussels?
Green-Lipped Mussels is a main from New Zealand: plump native mussels steamed or grilled, often with garlic and cream. Farmed on ropes in the Marlborough Sounds since the 1970s, they are also processed into an extract sold worldwide as a joint supplement.
How long does Green-Lipped Mussels take to make?
Green-Lipped Mussels takes 25 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Green-Lipped Mussels?
Yes, within limits. Ordinary blue mussels steam the same way, though they are smaller. Fish stock stands in for white wine in the pot.
What is the most important thing to get right in Green-Lipped Mussels?
Discard any one that stays open. Discard any with a cracked or broken shell. Discard any that smells strongly of ammonia. Never gather wild shellfish during a closure. Check official notices before collecting any. They grow there for about eighteen months. Rinse the mussels under cold running water. Scrub the shells with a stiff brush.
