Curried Verjus Mussels
- 1 tablespoon cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 4 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons cumin seed
- 3 tablespoons coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron, packed tightly
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, diced
- 1 1/2 cup Verjus
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons curry powder or to taste
- 2 pounds Prince Edward Island
- Mussels (small and sweet, but use local if not available; discard open mussels if they don’t close when tapped)
- cilantro for garnish
Toast all spices except saffron and turmeric on cookie sheet at 350º for 5 minutes. Add saffron and put in spice or coffee grinder. Grind to a fine powder. Empty into small bowl and add turmeric, so turmeric does not color your grinder. Save in tightly lidded jar for future use.
(Tip: clean grinder by grinding white rice before and after use).
Sweat ginger in butter for 1 minute until soft, but not brown. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and bring to simmer in large stockpot, or pot twice as large as mussel volume. Steam gently until mussels open (do not boil, or mussels will toughen).
Serves Four
Alan Kantor
MacCallum House Restaurant
Mendocino, CA
MacCallum House Restaurant
Mendocino, CA