‘Kismet’ Marinated Mussels

Adapted from Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, these marinated mussels get a lovely tang from pickled shallots and a touch of sweetness from dried currants. They’re equally at home at a snazzy dinner party as they are at a picnic or potluck. They’re really nice served with some good bread and butter.

They’re included in a chapter called “As Good Tomorrow as it Is Today” — which means you can eat them right away, or let them chill a day or two in the fridge. If you do delay serving them, wait until you’re ready to serve them before adding the parsley leaves.

Makes about 2 cups / 500 ml.

Ingredients

FOR THE PICKLED SHALLOTS

2 small shallots, sliced into thin rounds

1 tablespoon dried currants

1/4 cup / 59 ml white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

Grated zest of 1/4 orange

1/4 cup / 60 ml olive oil

FOR THE MUSSELS

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 sprigs thyme

2 pounds / 900 grams mussels

A big handful of Italian parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Make the pickled shallots: In a small heatproof bowl, combine the shallots and currants. In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, 2 tablespoons water, the coriander, peppercorns, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot pickling liquid through a fine-mesh sieve over the shallots and currants. Discard the aromatics. Allow to pickle 5 to 10 minutes, then add the thyme leaves, orange zest, and the 1/4 cup / 60 ml of olive oil to the pickled shallots and stir to combine.

2. Prepare the mussels: In a wide saucepan, combine 1/3 cup / 80 ml water, the 1 tablespoon olive oil and the thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the mussels in a single layer and cover the pan. Keep the lid on for the first 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the mussels to steam. As they begin to open, pull them out and place in a medium serving bowl. Cook until all of the mussels have opened.

3. Once all of the mussels have been removed from the pan, strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Place the bowl into the freezer to cool for 10 to 15 minutes until the cooking liquid is no longer hot.

4. Pick each mussel from its shell, being careful to also remove the beard, and place the mussels in a bowl. Discard the shells. Pour 1/4 cup / 60 ml of the cooled cooking liquid over the mussels, being careful to hold back any grit or residue from the bottom of the bowl. Stir the pickled shallot mixture into the mussels. Toss lightly with the parsley just before serving.

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