| 22 March 2010
Posted in
Entrees -
Seafood
I hardly grill seafood. Normally, it's all about the steaks, Carne Asada and pork bellies! But grilling mussels today just may have opened up that door for me =] The key part of this dish is the tomato-based soup, although I can't complain about the taste of mussels straight off the grill topped with some hot chili sauce! The tomato-based soup adds a lot of color to the dish, and a very satisfying balance to the mussels. It could have been the transition into Spring, or the feeling of being back home in the central valley with family and friends cooking together in the backyard that made this dish taste that much more perfect!
The Mussels
- 2lb fresh mussels in a half shell
- shrimp shells + tails
- 2 1/2 qts. water
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped into 1" pieces
- 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. whole butter
- salt + pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup red onion, small dice
- 1/2 cup green onion, finely chopped
- shrimp broth
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup rice cooking wine
- water if necessary
Step 1: The Shrimp Broth
The reason why I had you save your shrimp peels (and buy un-peeled shrimp to begin with) was to create this really simple and perfect broth to add to the soup! Bring water to a simmer with the shrimp peels, onions, and garlic. Add salt and pepper and simmer until broth seeps its flavor and shows bright orange in color, which should take approximately 35-45 minutes. Put the contents through a strainer and put shrimp broth aside.
Step 2: The Soup/Sauce
Melt butter in with the olive oil in a hot sauce pot and add garlic, and red and green onions. Once the onions are slightly translucent (approximately 5 minutes) deglaze with the rice cooking wine. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add shrimp broth, cover, and keep at a simmer while you go outside and fire up the mussels on the grill!
Step 3: It's Grilling Time!
Line up your mussels on the high-heat grill, and put a teaspoon of butter onto each mussel. It doesn't take long for the mussels to be ready, so don't leave them unattended for even a minute -- and keep your tongs handy! Once the butter is fully melted and bubbling, you can take them off the grill -- don't let them go dry. When you're finished grilling, take your simmering soup and pour over the mussels upon serving. What's great is that you can either serve this as a soup or spoon the sauce on top of each mussel thats of the grill. Enjoy! 
