Green Curry Penn Cove Mussels

Green Curry Penn Cove Mussels

Washington is home to amazing seafood, which includes Penn Cove Mussels. These tasty bivalves are found in the waters of Puget Sound, and like the Manila clam, are easy to prepare, fairly inexpensive, and take well to many different flavors. While we often prepare mussels the same way we prepare clams, we also enjoy experimenting with different flavor combinations. One particularly delicious approach to mussels is cooking them in a green curry broth packed with aromatics and then garnished with bright herbs.

Mussels in a curry broth, either red or green, can be found occasionally at restaurants, but they are also easy enough to prepare at home! The recipe below is not too complicated and requires minimal cooking time, but its success depends on proper preparation. Once you start cooking, the recipe moves quickly and should take only about 10 minutes to cook!

Servings: 2 as a main

Time: 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Penn Cove mussels, cleaned and debearded immediately before cooking
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ½-inch piece of ginger, minced (about 1 tsp)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, peeled and tender core minced
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 tsp green curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk (do not shake!)
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup Thai basil, chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• lime zest from ½ a lime
• lime juice from ¼ a lime

Directions:

1. Prepare all ingredients. Mince garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and shallot and set aside in a bowl. Chop cilantro and basil, set aside in a bowl. Zest and juice lime into a small bowl. Open coconut milk, but do not shake, and set aside nearby fish sauce and brown sugar.
2. Sauté garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and shallot in a large pot over medium heat with 1 to 2 Tbsp of neutral oil until fragrant and softened.
3. Add curry paste and 1 to 2 Tbsp of coconut cream skimmed from the top of the coconut milk can. Sauté until bubbling and well incorporated with aromatics, a couple minutes.
4. Add fish sauce, lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar, and coconut milk. Stir well to incorporate.
5. Once broth reaches a simmer, add cleaned mussels to pot, stir, and cover to steam. Check every 30 to 45 seconds, stirring each time, until mussels have opened. The broth should always be at a simmer or a very light boil. Turn the heat down a little if it boils too aggressively, which can ruin the texture of the broth.
6. Remove pot from heat and add most of the cilantro and basil, stir to combine.
7. Serve mussels to bowls, ladling broth over top, and garnishing with remaining cilantro and basil.
8. Enjoy with warmed baguette!

Prepped Ingredients

Cleaned and debearded mussels

Sauteed aromatics with curry paste

After adding coconut milk

Broth ready for mussels after adding fish sauce, lime juice and zest, and sugar

Mussels in the pot!

Mussels almost done

Ready to serve!

Notes:

• The amount of curry paste can be increased to provide a stronger and spicier curry flavor. The recipe calls for only 2 tsp in an attempt to prevent the dish from becoming too spicy.
• Garnish with sliced red Fresno chile peppers if desired, to add a bit more color and spice to the dish.
• Mussels should be stored properly and kept alive until just before cooking. Cleaning and debearding mussels too far in advance will kill them, potentially making them unsafe for consumption.
• Any small to medium mussel can be used in place of Penn Cove mussels. The rule of thumb is one pound of mussels per person for a main course.

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Dungeness Crab Dip

Dungeness Crab Dip

Dungeness crab is one of our favorite foods and a treasured food of the Pacific Northwest. In my humble opinion, it is the best crab - better even than the prized King crab. Dungeness is found along the west coast of the United States with peak seasons during both summer and winter. Its namesake is a small fishing village on the Olympic Peninsula and Strait of Juan de Fuca here in Washington (see this). If you ever make it out to Seattle, a trip to the Olympic Peninsula is a must, and a fun stop is Dungeness Spit and the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

Now, back to the food. Dungeness crab is mild flavored, both slightly sweet and rich, and lightly salty or briny. It is at its best in preparations that allow its mild flavors to shine. This dip recipe uses just enough goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to bind the dip together and offset the crab's salty-briny characteristics with added richness, while accenting the crab's mild sweetness with aromatics, citrus, and herbs. The end result is a dip that is crabby in all the best ways!

Servings: 6 as an appetizer

Time: 15 minutes (add 20 minutes or more if picking crab)

Ingredients:

• 1 Dungeness crab, cleaned and picked, about 8oz meat
• 4 oz mild goat cheese, softened
• ¼ to ⅓ cup whipped cream cheese
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp capers, rinsed, drained, and minced
• 1 Tbsp chive, minced, plus a pinch for garnish
• ½ tsp dried dill, or 1 Tbsp fresh dill minced
• 1 cornichon, minced
• ½ Tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• a couple dashes of hot sauce (e.g., Tapatío)

Directions:

1. If needed, clean the crab and then pick the meat from the legs and body of the crab. Double check for any shell pieces.
2. Prepare dry ingredients. Mince shallot, garlic, capers, chive, dill (if fresh), and cornichon. Grate lemon for zest.
3. Add goat cheese and whipped cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Mix well to combine and create a uniform mixture.
4. Add prepared dry ingredients, lemon juice, and hot sauce to the cheese mixture. Mix to incorporate.
5. Add crab to bowl and fold into the dip, preserving some larger chunks of crab.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Depending on the saltiness of the crab itself, you may want to add a little bit of salt or some more capers or cornichon. Not enough herbal notes? Add more! Not enough acid? Add another small squeeze of lemon juice!
7. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a little minced chive.
8. Serve with crostini, crackers, or even vegetables (radish, carrot, celery, snap peas).

Prepared Ingredients

Cheese and dry ingredients mixed and ready for crab!

Serve with crostini, crackers, or mixed vegetables.

Notes:

• I rarely measure out the ingredients for this recipe and instead taste and adjust as needed. If taking this approach, I suggest starting with a light touch on the dry ingredients - you can always taste and add more as needed.
• This dip can be repurposed to make delicious crab melts. Toast some bread, spread with dip, and top with sliced avocado. Or, spread dip atop sliced bread and top with some cheese before toasting in the oven or under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and warm.

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