Dinner Tonight: Spicy Southwest Mussels
The fiancée wanted mussels; I wanted something spicy. So I plugged in spicy mussels into the Food Network’s website and found this Bobby Flay recipe for spicy southwest mussels that had heat, limes, and a whole lotta herbs. With the weather hovering in the 80s here in Ohio, this dish could be the perfect pre-summer version of mussels.
The fiancée and I dug in expecting to be bawled over by flavor—I was particularly excited about the acidic kick of the limes—but what we found was a little less engaging. Though all kinds of flavorings had gone in, it all combined to make a bland dish. Not offensive and gross, mind you, but just kind of unremarkable. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I squeezed some more fresh lime juice on top, and suddenly all those herbs perked up, the spice kicked in, and we finished the bowl in a matter of minutes.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Spicy Southwest Mussels
- serves 4 -
Ingredients
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
Juice of 1 lime
4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
1/2 cup scallions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon red chile flakes
1/2 cup plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Procedure
1. Pour the oil into a large pot and turn the heat to medium. Toss in the garlic and cook for a minute, or until slightly colored.
2. Turn the heat to high and add the white wine, 1/2 the lime juice, mussels, scallions, parsley, and chile flakes. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes or until all the mussels have opened. Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro. Turn off the heat and discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
3. Dump the mussels into a large bowl, squeeze the rest of the lime juice on top, and dig in.
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2 Comments:
"balwed over???" You expected someone to cry over you?
pthom at 10:21AM on 05/03/08
Do they even have mussels in the southwest?
This still sounds delicious.
jd7979 at 11:50AM on 05/05/08