Mussels in curry cream sauce is the perfect seduction meal when you need to prepare a simple, luscious meal in 30 minutes. The recipe below is for a basic curry cream sauce. For a bit more flavor I like adding a pinch or two of saffron for a curry saffron cream sauce. Or, there are many Thai variations that include the added richness of coconut milk, spices, and ginger. Either way, this is a meal that easily falls under the “quickie” category and will have you in and out of the kitchen in no time, unless you choose to also make home-made fries to accompany this dish. If I am in a rush, I go to my corner bistro and order fries to go.
mussels in curry cream sauce for two
2 Tb butter
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tb lemon grass, finely chopped
2 Tb curry powder
1 cup of white wine
1 cup of cream
2 lbs mussels, cleaned
1 loaf French bread
to clean the mussels
I think its best to use a pot with a colander or a salad spinner, so you can easily lift the colander leaving any sand or grit behind.Run mussels under cold water in the colander. Place the colander in a pot, fill with cold water and let soak for 15 minutes. Lift the colander out of the pot and rinse again. Next be sure to remove the beards–you do this by pulling out the hair-like strands between the shells of a mussel. If you find any shells that are open, discard them.
Add butter to a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Saute shallots for 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Add garlic, pepper, curry and lemon grass. Stir until curry is blended in and cook for about 5 minutes. Add wine and cream. Turn heat up and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium high and add mussels. Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until all shells open up. Stir mussels in the sauce. Discard any mussels that did not open.
plating the dish
Divide the mussels among two bowls. Spoon the luscious curry sauce over the mussels. Serve with warm crusty bread to soak up this delicious sauce. White wine or beer go well with this dish. Tip: One of the easiest ways to eat the mussels is to take a shell and use it as “pinchers” to remove the mussel from another shell and bring it to your mouth.
