HONEY BEER STEAMED MUSSELS WITH HERB BUTTER BAGUETTES
Bacon AND mussels. Together. In a pot! With beer! We don’t even know what else we'd want in life....besides more bread. Drink with the coldest bottle of Pinot Grigio that you can get your hands on. Serves 2 appropriately. 1 obnoxiously.
Mussels cook quickly and beer and bacon provide easy but intense flavours making this a perfect weeknight dinner.
- 1.2kg fresh mussels
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet, white onion, diced
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 bottle of your favourite beer
- 3 tbsp of Haughton Honey
- 3 slices of streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled
- A handful of chopped coriander
- For the ciabatta: 1 large ciabatta
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- A handful of freshly chopped herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, coriander)
- Flaked sea salt and freshly ground pepper
If you have a fan-assisted oven then reduce the specified temperature in the recipe by about 15%.
1 teaspoon = 5ml
1 tablespoon = 15ml.
some ingredients are measured in cups and some equivalents are;
150g, 6oz (1/2 cup) = 120ml, 4fl oz.
- Keep the mussels refrigerated until you’re ready to use. Once ready, place them in a large bowl of ice cold water. Scrub the outsides of the mussels and remove the string (or “beard”) by using a towel or paper towel to pull it out. Discard any mussels that have opened already. Keep the mussels in the ice water.
- Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat and add the 50g of butter and the olive oil. Once it’s melted stir in the onions, garlic and yellow pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add in the beer and the honey, stirring to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels and toss together. Cover the pan or wok and cook just until the mussels open and the beer is simmering, about 5 to 6 minutes. Garnish with the bacon and coriander. Stir the mussels well so the broth makes it into the shells. Serve immediately with the baguettes.
- For the herb butter baguettes: preheat the oven to 180C/400F. Spread the softened butter on the baguettes. Cover the butter with the assorted herbs (use whatever herbs you like!). Bake until the baguettes and warm and golden and toast, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of the flaked salt. Serve immediately.