If you happen to have a CostCo card then your in for an absolute treat, on a recent visit to CostCo whilst perusing the fresh fish i happened to spot their Loch Fyne Fresh Scottish Mussels and at £4.99 for 2KG of fresh live mussels they were not to be sniffed at.
And of course my thoughts instantly went to the old classic Moules Mariniere which if you have never cooked it before is an absolute classic and so quick and easy you will wonder why you have never done it before.
Now just a quick word on how to handle the Mussels themselves before we move on, these are live mussles so just pop them in the fridge and keep them there until your ready to cook them, personally i like to take them out of them packaging and drop them in some cold nice cold water about half an hour before i want to cook them, once in the water give them a good slosh round and them leave them for 15 minutes to half and hour, this should give them plenty of time to close up and it will also give them a good clean, take each mussel from the water remove and beard by just pulling it off, and make sure the mussel is tightly closed, if not give it a quick tap, and if it still does not close then discard it, also any Mussels with damaged shells should be throw out also. In the batch I had, there were only 2 that had had to be discarded which is pretty good by anyones standards.
Recipe: Moules Marinière with Cream & Garlic
Moules Mariniere is simple and quick, and makes a fantastic starter (or even a main course) this recipe will feed 4-6 people as a starter, or 2-4 people as a main course.
Ingredients:
- 2kg Costco Loch Fyne Fresh Scottish Mussels.
- 1 Garlic Clove – Finely Chopped
- 2 Shallots, or One Small / Half a Large Onion.
- 20g Butter (Unsalted).
- Parsley (Chopped).
- 100ml White Wine (I use a Nice Chardonnay as it drinks well with the Mussels also).
- 120ml Fresh Double Cream.
- Thyme,
- Bay Leaves.
- Fresh Crusty Bread (To Serve on the Side).
Cooking:
- Using a nice big pan, throw in the butter, and place on a medium heat.
- Chop the Onion / Shallots and add to the butter.
- Chop and add the garlic, half of the chopped parsley, add a couple of bay leaves and a sprinkle of thyme if you have it. I Also add a little freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Keep on a medium heat until the Onions / Shallots start to soften and then add the wine, stir and heat until it is starting to steam and then add the mussels and pop the lid on.
- Cook for around 5 minutes, giving the pan a good shake every now and then to mix up the mussels, you should see the mussels opening up as they cook, and the are ready as soon as you see them all nicely open.
- Once cooked, remove the mussels from the pan using a straining spoon and dish them up to your bowls, then add the cream to the remaining liquid, return to the heat and stir for about a minute to combine the cream and make the sauce.
- Now just pour the sauce from the pan over the mussels, sprinkle over some parsley and serve with fresh buttered crusty bread.
And Enjoy…
Just a few more words, i can honestly say these are some of the best store bought mussels i have come across, almost all of them made it through inspection and they cooked and tasted fantastic…… Yes fresh mussels straight off the front at Brancaster are better, but i really don’t think for the price you are going to find better in any store.
And just to clarify, I am not sponsored by CostCo and they did not supply a free product or reimburse me in any way for mentioning this product.
