Mussels with Fennel-Saffron Broth

Mussels with Fennel-Saffron Broth

The other week we received fennel in our bi-weekly CSA shipment from Helsing Junction Farms. Since we don't often cook with fennel, Erin scoured the web for an appealing dinner that used this perennial herb. The recipe she eventually settled on comes from one of Mark's favorite food websites (Serious Eats) and involves one of our favorite foods (mussels)!

Over the past handful of years we have eaten mussels in a variety of preparations both in Seattle and around the world. We've enjoyed delicious Penn Cove mussels at home here in Seattle, at restaurants in the city, and at the nearby Front Street Grill in Coupeville on Whidbey Island (seriously, look them up and visit if you have a chance!). We've savored traditional Moules Frites in Brussels. We (Mark) has enjoyed smoked green-lipped mussels in New Zealand while on vacation. However, at home, we almost always prepare them in the same way we prepare clams.

This fennel-saffron mussels recipe was a refreshing change to our usual preparation of clams and mussels. The broth is full-flavored and semi-rich without being too heavy so that you can eat large quantities of these mussels without feeling overwhelmed as you might by a cream-based broth. It also pleasantly incorporates the fennel flavors with a hint of spice and a touch of herb to create a dish that you won't be able to stop eating. In particular, this preparation mellows out the licorice/anise flavor of raw fennel to create an extremely well-balanced dish that you can keep on standby as an impressive main requiring relatively minimal effort.

Original recipe: J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2-4 ounces hard dry fennel salami, diced
• 1 small bulb fennel, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of saffron
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 (2-inch) piece orange zest, white pith removed
• ½ cup crushed tomatoes (optionally pureed)
• 2 pounds mussels, cleaned and de-bearded before cooking
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 loaf rustic bread, sliced, buttered or oiled, and well toasted

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium-high eat until hot. Add salami and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add fennel, onion, and garlic then reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Add saffron and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine, orange zest, and tomatoes, increase to high heat and bring to a boil.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Add mussels, stir, cover, and cook, shaking pan every 30-60 seconds. As soon as all mussels have opened, remove the mussels from the pot using tongs and transfer to a bowl then cover with a lid or a plate.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Remove the pot from heat and whisk in the parsley, butter, and lemon juice. Return the mussels to the pot stir to combine, then transfer to a warm serving bowl or serve directly into warmed bowls, ladling broth and vegetables from the pot over mussels. Serve with toasted bread.
   
   

   

   Mussels with Fennel-Saffron Broth
   
   

Notes:

• Make sure you thoroughly rinse and de-beard the mussels immediately before cooking. De-bearding the mussels will kill the mussels eventually and mussels should be alive when you cook them, so avoid doing this too far in advance. See this article on Serious Eats for more information.
• When de-bearding mussels, use half a piece of paper towel to grab and grip the beard. This makes it much easier to grasp the beard compared to using your bare hands, and if you are purchasing paper towels that can be composted then you can toss them into the compost when done.
• Go light on the pepper flakes the first time (no more than 1/8 teaspoon) to avoid an overly spicy dish. The flavors in the dish pair nicely with a bit of heat, so increase the amount of red pepper flakes to match your tastes, but note that a little goes a long way.
• The original recipe calls for pastis or Pernod instead of dry white wine. We are not huge fans of the licorice/anise flavors so we opted for a dry white wine. Dry vermouth should also work well as a substitute.
• Slice the bread about 1" thick and then toast or broil so the outer surface is well toasted while the inside is warm and soft.