Best 2 New Zealand Green Mussels Risotto Recipes

NEW ZEALAND GREEN MUSSELS RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Scrub muscles under cold running water. Using your fingers, pull out the beards that are visible between the shells. In an 8 quart Dutch oven combine 4 quarts (16 cups) cold water in 1/3 cup of the salt. Add muscles; soak for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse, discarding water. Repeat twice more. Preheat oven to 400°F. In a hot heavy-bottom roasting pan over medium heat cook bacon, shallots, and garlic until bacon is nearly crisp and shallots and garlic are tender; drain fat. Add the mussels, white wine, and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pan; In a small microwave-safe bowl heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the microwave on high heat for 30 to 60 seconds or until melted; stir in the breadcrumbs, parsley and the pinch of salt. Remove and discard the top shell of the mussels. Return the mussels to the roasting pan. Spoon a little of the breadcrumb mixture on top of each mussel. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for five minutes or until breadcrumbs are light brown. Keep an eye on the breadcrumbs as they may brown quickly. Remove from the oven. Drizzle reserved cooking liquid over the muscles to serve.

MUSSEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Clean the mussels. Inspect each one carefully and discard any that have opened (if some are partly open, tap them with your finger, and if they close back up they are O.K.) or have cracked shells. Place in a large bowl, fill the bowl with cold water and rinse several times, swishing the mussels around in the water, pouring out the water and refilling. Clean the shells, if necessary, with a brush or the end of one of the mussels, and pull out the beards - the hairy attachments emerging from the shells. Do not do this until just before cooking, or the mussels will die and spoil.
• Combine 1 cup of the wine and the 3 cups of water in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the sliced onion, the crushed garlic cloves, the thyme and parsley sprigs, and the peppercorns and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover the pan and cook until the mussels have opened, about 4 minutes. Stir the mussels halfway through. Using tongs, transfer the mussels to a bowl, holding them over the pot first so any liquid in the shells will drain into the pot. Discard any that have not opened. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the mussels from their shells.
• Line a strainer with a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth, place over a saucepan and strain the broth from the mussels. Add more water or stock to make 6 cups if using 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. (You will have enough if using 1 cup arborio.) Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Taste and season as desired.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy nonstick skillet or a wide, heavy saucepan. Add the finely chopped onion and the celery and a generous pinch of salt, and cook gently until the onion is just tender, about 3 minutes. Do not brown.
• Stir in the arborio rice and the minced garlic and stir until the grains separate and begin to crackle. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine and stir until it is no longer visible in the pan. Add the tomatoes and saffron and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, about 5 minutes.
• Begin adding the simmering stock, a couple of ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice, and should be bubbling, not too slowly but not too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until it is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock and continue to cook in this fashion, adding more and stirring when the rice is almost dry. You do not have to stir constantly, but stir often. When the rice is just tender all the way through but still chewy, stir in the mussels and any juice that has accumulated in the bowl, the cooked brown rice, if using, and the peas. Taste now and adjust seasoning. Stir in another ladleful of stock and remove from the heat. The mixture should be creamy (add more stock if it isn't). Serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than a mound.