Steamed Mussels With Thai-Style Coconut-Curry Broth Recipe

Mussels cooked in a spicy and aromatic coconut broth with Thai curry flavors. [Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

I've gone on record as saying that mussels are the easiest choose-your-own-adventure one-pot meal around, and I intend to prove it to you. This version uses my standard steamed mussel technique and combines it with flavors from Central Thailand to create a dish whose basic process is pretty much identical to the French version, but whose end results are entirely different. All it takes is some curry paste, some coconut milk, and a few other odds and ends.

Why this recipe works:

• Using our standard mussels technique delivers great flavor and texture in a matter of minutes.
• This recipe upgrades store-bought curry paste with a few fresh aromatics for improved flavor.

Note: I strongly advise using a good mortar and pestle for making the curry paste, though in a pinch a blender will do. To make in a blender, add aromatics and curry paste to the blender along with a tablespoon of water. Blend on high speed scraping down sides and adding water as necessary until a paste is formed.

Examine mussels before using. If they're gritty or have lots of beards (it'll look like bits of hair coming out from between their shells), scrub them well under cold water and pull out the beards by grabbing them and pulling towards the hinge-end of the mussels. (More on cleaning and debearding mussels here.) Farm-raised mussels are generally quite clean when they are sold.

When examining, discard cracked mussels or open mussels that don't close when tapped with another mussel.