Green Lipped Mussels

Making Green Lipped Mussels Ahead

Best eaten straight away. Do not store cooked mussels.

Green Lipped Mussels: The Method

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1. Scrub the mussels, pull off the beards and discard any that stay open when tapped.

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2. Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid. Cook the garlic for 1 minute without browning.

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3. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover and steam for 5 minutes, shaking the pan, until the shells are open.

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4. Discard any shells that stay closed. Add the parsley and a squeeze of lemon and serve in bowls with the broth.

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A Few Pointers

• Do not overcook; the mussels turn tough.
• Use a pan big enough for the mussels to open freely.
• Taste the broth before salting; the mussels are naturally salty.

Behind the Recipe

Mussels, garlic, wine, parsley and a hot pan. That is all this takes, and the mussels do the rest, opening in their own juices and making the sauce as they go. New Zealand green lipped mussels are larger and plumper than the common blue mussel, with a sweet, mild flavour.

The shells are edged with green, which is where the name comes from. If they arrive in a net or a bag, wash them and pull off the hairy beards. Discard any open mussels that do not close when tapped, because those are no longer alive, and any with broken shells.

Cover the pan and steam for about 5 minutes, shaking it now and then. The mussels are done when the shells have opened wide. Throw away any that stay shut. Spoon the mussels and broth into bowls, scatter with parsley and serve with plenty of crusty bread for the juices.

What to Put Next to It

Crusty bread · Green salad · Chips · Dry white wine

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Savoury Corn Muffins.

Swaps and Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• A dry vermouth keeps for longer than an open bottle of white wine and is the closer swap than a random white left in the fridge; for an alcohol-free version, use the same amount of stock with a squeeze of lemon.

Green Lipped Mussels Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: all the alcohol is counted, though some is lost in cooking. The calories include 4 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.

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