Mussels-O-Miso

Name: Mussels-O-Miso
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 lb Mussels (2 pounds mussels*); ½ cup Chicken Stock (1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock); ¼ cup Brown Miso Paste (1/4 cup brown or red miso paste); 1 tbsp Fish Sauce (1 tablespoon fish sauce); 1 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar (1 tablespoon dark brown sugar); 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil (1 tablespoon vegetable oil); 8 pieces Shishito Pepper (8 shishito peppers, seeded and thinly sliced); 2 tbsp Ginger (2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger); 0.5 ml Lager Beer (1/2 (330-ml) bottle lager or pilsner (I typically go with Asahi.)); 1 tbsp Thai-Style Chili Sauce (1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce or any Thai-style chili sauce); 2 tbsp Lime Juice (2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice); 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter (1 tablespoon unsalted butter); ½ cup Cilantro (1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped); 0 pieces Crusty Bread (Crusty bread such as baguette for serving)

Mussels-O-Miso - Mains (Japanese)

45 minJapanese

Servings4

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Pescatarian
Egg Free

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Mussels2 lb · 2 pounds mussels*
Chicken Stock½ cup · 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
Brown Miso Paste¼ cup · 1/4 cup brown or red miso paste
Fish Sauce1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Dark Brown Sugar1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Vegetable Oil1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Shishito Pepper8 pieces · 8 shishito peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
Ginger2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
Lager Beer0.5 ml · 1/2 (330-ml) bottle lager or pilsner (I typically go with Asahi.)
Thai-Style Chili Sauce1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce or any Thai-style chili sauce
Lime Juice2 tbsp · 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Unsalted Butter1 tbsp · 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Cilantro½ cup · 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Crusty Bread0 pieces · Crusty bread such as baguette for serving

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Steps

1Rinse and scrub the mussels under cool running water. Remove any "beards" by pulling the fiber down toward the hinge end. (I keep a clean pair of needle-nose piers around for this.) Discard the beards and any open mussels that do not close within 30 seconds after a hard tap. Set the mussels aside while you prepare the broth.
2Add the chicken stock, miso paste, fish sauce, and dark brown sugar to a container with a lid. Stir with a fork to break up the miso, then close the lid and shake vigorously to combine.
3Heat the vegetable oil in an 11-inch straight sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the shishito peppers and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant and just beginning to brown. Add the ginger and cook for another minute, then stir in the broth mixture and the beer. Bring to a simmer.
4Add the mussels and cover with a lid. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels have opened, about 2 minutes. (There are usually one or two that refuse to open no matter how long you cook them. Just discard as you find them.)
5Transfer the mussels to a large serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Whisk the garlic chili sauce and lime juice into the broth and cook for 1 minute.
6Whisk in the butter until melted and thoroughly integrated, Pour over the mussels, followed by the chopped cilantro. Serve immediately, mopping up the broth with the baguette.
7*Fresh- and by that I mean- live. Mussels are available year-round and although they're considered to be at their peak from October to March, I eat a lot more in the summer than I do in the winter. When shopping, you'll find mesh bags, on ice, in the fresh seafood counter of quality markets. The shells should be shiny and most should be closed. It's ok if they're a little bit open as long as they close within a minute when tapped. If they're gaping wide, like they're yawning, pass. To store at home, I usually stash their mesh bag in a wide bowl over ice, topped by a moist towel. Don't wash them until right before cooking as fresh water will kill them. I strongly advise they be cooked within 24 hours of purchase...sooner is better.