Saltcraft / Recipes / Southeast Asian
No. 27Southeast Asian · Dinner

Green Curry Coconut Mussels

There are very few dinners with a better effort-to-reward ratio than a pot of mussels. I treat the broth as the main event: green curry, ginger, coconut milk and enough lime to wake everything up. The mussels take five minutes. The bread is not optional.

A pot of mussels in green curry coconut broth
Shot on my phone.No. 27
Serves
2 for dinner, 4 as a starter
Total
25 min
Hands-on
25 min
Season
Fall / Winter

Method

  1. Check the mussels. Rinse them under cold water. Throw out any with cracked shells, and any open ones that don't close when you tap them.
  2. Build the base. Heat the oil in a wide pot with a lid over medium heat. Soften the shallot for 2 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
  3. Make the broth. Add the curry paste and fry it for a minute until it smells amazing. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, stir in the fish sauce and the sugar if using, and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Taste it now. This is your last chance to adjust.
  4. Steam the mussels. Tip them in, put the lid on and steam for 4–7 minutes, giving the pot one good shake halfway, until the shells open. Discard any that stay closed.
  5. Finish and serve. Off the heat, add the lime zest and juice and a big handful of herbs and chili. Serve immediately, with bread for the broth.

From my kitchen

  • Curry pastes vary wildly. Some are fiery, some are salty, some are both. Start with 2 tablespoons and work up.
  • Optional upgrades: a spoon of lemongrass paste or a couple of makrut lime leaves in the broth. Welcome, not essential.
  • This is a broth-first dinner. Do not skimp on the bread. I will not be taking questions.
  • Buy them the day you cook them. Keep mussels cold, in a bowl in the fridge with a damp towel over them, never sealed in plastic.

To drink

Easy A cold, crisp lager. It cools the curry and goes with the bread.

A step further A chilled junmai ginjo sake. It softens the spice without flattening all those aromatics.

Zero proof Iced lemongrass and ginger tea with a squeeze of lime.

Richly yours, H

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