A summer dish par excellence that captures the essence of the Greek Islands, this mussels dish by Carolina Doriti is ideally paired with the lemon-lime characters of a young Hunter Semillon or a light, dry Rosé.
Images and text from The Greek Islands Cookbook by Carolina Doriti, photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99
INGREDIENTS
1 kg fresh live mussels
60g butter
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced (reserve any fronds to serve)
4–5 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
3–4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
100ml ouzo
3–4 small thyme sprigs
Zest of 1 small lemon
3–4 tbsp chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
1. Wash mussels to remove any dirt or grit. If any mussels are open, tap them on the counter – if they close, they are alive; if they remain open, discard.
2. Place a large, shallow pot or deep pan with a well-fitting lid over a medium heat. Add half the butter to the pot and, once hot, add sliced fennel bulb, spring onions, garlic and bay leaves. Cook until the vegetables start to soften. Pour the ouzo into the pot and add the remaining butter.
3. When everything starts to simmer, add mussels and thyme sprigs. Immediately cover and let the mussels simmer for 2 minutes. Without removing lid, shake pot to move the mussels around. Let cook for a further 1 minute before repeating this process (total cooking time is approx. 6 minutes).
4. Take off lid and mix mussels well in the cooking liquid in the pan. Check to make sure that all the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels. Add lemon zest, parsley and plenty of black pepper, cover the pot and shake again. Transfer mussels to a deep serving platter and spoon over the sauce along with the cooked fennel and spring onions. Scatter roughly chopped fennel fronds and serve the mussels with warm hunks of toasted bread.