I have been craving mussels for weeks. It started when we were in Paris and I saw people eating a bowl full of mussels outside of a charming cafe. It continued after I was in Greenwich and we went out for fish and chips and I saw a server bring mussels to a nearby table. Every time I saw them they looked so good, but for some reason I wasn’t eating them! Why wasn’t I eating mussels?!

So, I took matters into my own hands and decided to make mussels at home. When Ryan and I lived in Arlington, VA we used to like a place called Fatty Shorty’s (it no longer exists). We would get green curry mussels with bread and sausages slathered with mustard and topped with onions. Although the place didn’t last long, we thought it was delicious and those mussels were the inspiration for making this recipe. 

Making mussels at home is something that sounds a bit scary, and I think that’s because there are so many rules associated with mussels. When you buy them, you want to remove any that are chipped or already open. You want to clean them to get the silt out. And you need to remove the beards, but in a certain way so you don’t prematurely kill it. Then, once they are cooked you don’t want to eat any that haven’t opened. See, so many rules?!

But in fact, mussels are really simple to clean and prepare, quick to make, and delicious to eat. The longest part, and it’s hardly strenuous, is making a flavorful and complex broth that you’ll use to steam the mussels. Then, once you put the mussels in to steam, it takes just minutes (2-6 minutes). It’s glorious and quick. And then you can slurp up all that broth using a spoon or the empty mussel shells. In fact, my number one recommendation for making mussels at home is that you also buy a nice baguette so you can use the bread to sop up the amazing broth you worked so hard to create. I was silly and forgot nice bread so Ryan and I had to use hot dog buns.

Also, if you like mussels but fear making them at home, here’s one last plug: I bought 1 kilogram of mussels for £4 from my local fish monger. Yeah I went to a fish monger and not the grocery store, I’m cool like that. When you go out to eat, a bowl full of mussels can be pretty expensive and I’m always left wanting more. Make these at home and you’ll have enough mussels for 4 people for under £10. Can’t get much better than that.

Cleaning process learned from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.

Messy level: Slightly messy largely because of the cleaning process. Otherwise, all you have to do is a little cutting and everything else is cooked in one large pot.

Coconut Curry Mussels

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels
• 8 sprigs cilantro, leaves and stems separated
• 4 garlic cloves, divided
• 2 small thinly sliced shallots, divided
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• zest from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt
• 1 15oz can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, cut in 1" pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove any mussels that are cracked or already opened. Put the remaining mussels in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let it sit for 10 minutes. This is done to clean them.
2. Spoon out the mussels. Don't pour them out otherwise the silty water will just go back on to the clean mussels.
3. Remove the beards from the mussels. Do this by pulling the beard toward the hinge. More info can be found here. Ok, now your mussels are ready to cook!
4. In a food processor combine the cilantro stems, 2 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, chili flakes, lime zest and a pinch of salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and combined.
5. Scoop 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into a large pot. Add the vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until very hot.
6. Add the remaining garlic, remaining shallots, green curry paste, lemongrass, and everything from the food processor to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. It should start smelling nice.
7. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce to the pot. Turn the heat up a bit and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.
8. Add the mussels to the pot. Give them a stir and cover. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until all the mussels are open.
9. Once the mussels are cooked, stir in the cilantro leaves, lime juice, and serrano chili.
10. Serve with bread and eat immediately

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Coquito is basically a Puerto Rican version of egg nog, although the recipe I use, and many others I’ve found, don’t include eggs. What makes the recipe Puerto Rican is the coconut and the rum. It’s great because coquito is creamy and flavored with cinnamon, like many holiday treats, but it also evokes the memories of warm weather and summer cocktails.

My memories of coquito are closely tied with my Uncle José and Titi Lisa because they always bring it with them for Christmas. Yesterday, my aunt posted a photo from my parents house of her preparing to make coquito (my own prep picture is below). For me, that’s a clear sign it is almost Christmas – family is getting together and treats are being prepared.

Coquito is such an important part of Latino Christmas that El Museo del Barrio in New York City has an annual coquito tasting contest every year. How cool is that?! What have I been doing with my life that I’ve never tried to go to this?! One day I will have to remedy this oversight.

Coquito is a recipe, that for me, you don’t have to get crazy about the exact proportions of the ingredients. I found tons of recipes with different amounts of cinnamon, that use a double boiler, or use coconut milk instead of coconut cream. I suggest try it out my way, then play with the recipe until you find the flavor combination you like.

Even though, I think it’s totally fine to play with the recipe, I do have a few tasting notes. Straight out of the blender coquito is frothy and light, but room temperature. Feel free to chill it, but then the ingredients will separate and you’ll need to give it a good shake before serving again. In the future, I want to experiment with using egg whites and xanthan gum (I know not very traditional but it’s what Starbucks uses in frappuccinos) to see if I can make the perfect coquito that doesn’t separate – and then maybe I’ll be ready for the taste-testing competition. Also, you don’t have to add rum but I recommend it because it cuts back some of the sweetness – and also during the hoildays you should totally celebrate with a cocktail. If you’re definitely going to make a non-alcholic batch I suggest cutting back on the sweetened condensed milk and then you’ll have a subtler flavor.

Interested in other Puerto Rican foods for the holiday season? I’ve got a few suggestions including recipes for arepas, flan, and arroz con gandules.

Messy level: One spoon. There is nothing easier than opening can and blending it all in the blender.

Coquito (Puerto Rican Egg Nog)

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can coconut cream
• 1 15 oz can coconut milk
• 1 13 oz can evaporated milk
• 1 13 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• pinch of salt
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (more or less to your taste)
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• white rum (optional, but highly recommended)

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, except the rum, to a blender.
2. Mix until frothy and you can see the cinnamon is dotted throughout and not concentrated into any one area.
3. Add the rum a little bit at a time, blend, taste, then adjust until it is too your liking. I would start with ¾ cup then work your way up from there.
4. Chill if you like. Then serve garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.

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I do. Especially, when I’m slogging around during the DC area’s hot and humid summers. If it’s going to be uncomfortably hot, I want to be on the beach and be able to jump into the water. But, I can’t just fly off to the Caribbean so sometimes the next best thing is to go to the pool. My apartment building’s pool is on the roof and has a great view of downtown DC, so it provides its own brand of luxurious relaxation.

On a recent Friday, my friend and I were going to be off of work in the early afternoon and we had our hearts set relaxing by the pool. It was a hot and sunny morning, but no sooner did we get back to the apartment and change into our swimsuits that it started to rain. And not a little polite sprinkling that might pass quickly. It was a heavy rain, sheets of rain, buckets of rain – and also thunder and lightning. So there would be no sunshine, no pool, no Caribbean beach – but by golly, there could still be frozen cocktails!

My relaxing beach-inspired Friday was not to be ruined by a little rain. To make it feel like we were at the beach, I even stepped it up a notch and put the piña colada in a hollowed out pineapple. You need to have a special tool for this. If it’s possible to clean out a pineapple with just a knife, I don’t know how to do it.

Now, the pineapple slicer is one of those kitchen gadgets that you see in stores and think WHO NEEDS THIS?! That’s what I think when I see the strawberry huller or avocado slicer. Isn’t that what knives are for? Why can’t people just cut things? But this pineapple slicer is awesome.

Before I had it, I thought, “how often do I even buy a pineapple?” And the answer was almost never because it costs like $7 to get 12 cubes of pre-cut pineapple and $4 for a fresh pineapple. And that $4 pineapple also comes with the fear of cutting off my fingers and hacking at the fruit so badly that it comes out as mush. But, once I got the slicer it made pineapples so easy. Now, I worry it’s a slippery slope that soon I’ll be buying the banana slicer and mango pitter, but so far it’s just the pineapple slicer. So let me show you how it works and then we’ll get to the piña colada recipe.

Cut the top of the pineapple off.

Align the serrated circle at the bottom with the core of the pineapple.

Press down gentle to secure the slicer in the pineapple. Twist the top handle. Keep twisting until you’ve reached the bottom of the pineapple. You can feel it when the blade is getting toward the bottom and you can see when you’ve twisted far enough.

Pull the handle up firmly.

Now you have a beautiful spiral of pineapple and a hollowed out shell.

Awesome right? It’s like opening a bottle of wine, only it’s a pineapple. If you’re going to use the shell for a glass you can get a knife in there and cut out the core, but that’s optional. Now let’s get on with the recipe. Don’t get too caught up on exact measurements with this one because it’s really all about taste. This recipe serves about 4 people.

Ingredients:

Contents of 1 pineapple

1 cup coconut cream

1 cup coconut milk

¾-1 cup rum

Ice (as much or as little as you like)

Pineapple juice (I just added the juice from the fresh pineapple, but you can definitely add more)

Directions:

1. Cut the pineapple into pieces that are manageable for your blender
2. Add pineapple, coconut cream, coconut milk, rum, and ice. Blend until smooth
3. Taste. Add more of any ingredients until the taste is to your liking.
4. Pour into glass or hollowed out pineapple. Serve with straw – extra points if you have a curly straw or paper umbrella.

Enjoy! This week I actually am at the beach (in New Jersey – not the Caribbean) so I won’t be posting. Hope you have a great week, I’ll be back after a week in the sun.

Messy level: Low! Everything gets poured into one place. If you use a pineapple as your glass you don’t have to do any dishes!

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