Tag: clam recipe

Mussels in a Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

Mussels Main pic

The Best Mussels

This Mussels recipe is one of my all time favorites. It’s a European style recipe that incorporates the presence of Italian, french and Spanish cooking. This is also how the Olive Garden serves their Mussels. So if you’ve ever seen or ordered them there, this is more or less what you’re getting from this recipe.  The Mussels are covered and steamed with a small amount of boiling water, then drowned in a fresh Lemon Garlic Butter Broth that’s prepared in under a few minutes on the stove top.  Not only is this marinade amazing over the top of these Mussels, it is fantastic for dipping bread. My wife and I made our entire lunch out of 2 lbs of Mussels and a Crunch Roll loaf of bread when I prepared this recipe.

How do Mussels taste?

As I just described, Mussels truly are amazing.  They’re slightly on the milder side of Oysters but are very similar in texture.  They tend to be a bit chewy if they’re over cooked or bought frozen.  As always, it’s best to buy fresh.  I’ve had both wild and farm raised Mussels and the only difference I’ve noticed is that farm raised shell fish tend to be cleaner.  Nothing worse than biting into a gritting Oyster, Mussel or Clam for that matter.  So don’t shy away from farm raised Mussels unless you’re paranoid.  This recipe will really help bring out the natural flavors in this seafood.  It’s very easy to prepare and it can literally be done in just a matter of minutes.

If you’re interested, you really should check out my Oysters Rockefeller recipe and my Steamed Little neck Clams.  Also, be sure to check out my Tender Calamari Recipe down below and My Stuffed Clams.

Mussels Ingredients:

2 lbs Mussels
1/2 Green Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 stick Butter
1/4 cup Sherry Wine
1/4 cup Broth, vegetable or Chicken
1/2 Lemon, squeezed
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper/Chili flakes

Be sure to watch the Mussels Video tutorial to learn exactly how to prepare these ingredients.

Steamed Clams

Steamed ClamsSteamed Clams are GrrrrrrEAT!

For me, Steamed Clams have turned into a fun and exciting dish to snack on.  It really has that jaw dropping ooh and awe effect on people who really appreciate a whole plate of them when they hit the table.  These are Little-Neck Clams and for me, they have a very impressive and distinct taste.  Not to mention they are fun to cook.  Steamed Clams are an excellent appetizer, even if the dinner guests don’t particularly care for shellfish or seafood.  Can you guess why?  Take a look at this picture below.  It’s impressive, right?  Of course right.  So whether or not you get the credit you deserve for making such a scrumptious and tasty treat, at least you’ll get points for being eccentric.  This particular recipe couldn’t be any easier either.  All you need is 10 minutes and a few ingredients and you are off and running.

If you’re worried about the sand in Clam Shells and how to get rid of the Grittiness, there are several things you can do.  First off, the Clams I used in this video were Farm raised.  So if you are using these, you don’t really have to worry about the sand because they’re always cleaned out before they are shipped off.  Secondly, if you haven’t watched the video yet you’ll see that these Little-Neck Clams are rinsed and washed off before they are Steamed.  So consider that before you ponder your options.  If they are wild clams, just give them a soak in cold water for approximately 20 minutes.  I do the same thing with Crawfish only I cover them with salt so that they can purge.  Both clams and Crawfish spit out the muddy sand they’ve ingested as part of their daily diet.  You can also give them a real quick rinse after they’ve been steamed.  This helps to cut down on the Grittiness, if there is any.   And if you’re worried about it in the leftover Clam juice I turn into a Clam Salsa in this recipe, you can cheese cloth and strain the juice just before adding the other ingredients.

Steamed Clams Ingredients:

1 inch water in your pot
2 tbsp butter
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
2 Chopped Green Onion (scallions)
Black Pepper to taste and Paprika, Cayenne or Chili Flakes
Topped with a Sprinkle of some freshly chopped Parsley