Steamed Mussels With Wine And Saffron Recipes

Steps:

• Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge or vegetable brush, then debeard: grip the tough fibers extending from the shell and pull to remove. Discard beards.
• Steep saffron in wine for 10 minutes. (Saffron is soluble in water, not fat, so it won't release its color or flavor if added directly to the butter.) Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat in a shallow stockpot. Once it's foamy, add shallots, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until shallots are transparent and garlic is soft, about 3 minutes, stirring every so often to keep garlic from scorching. Pour in wine and saffron, then add tomatoes and return to a simmer, stirring once or twice.
• Add mussels and cover tightly. Cook until all mussels open, about 6 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. If using wild mussels, strain broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve to remove any sand, if necessary. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle with parsley before ladling mussels and broth into bowls.

Steps:

• In a deep saucepan, bring wine, saffron, shallots, and parsley to a boil.
• Add the mussels, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until shells have opened (mussels will be firm but tender).
• Serve the mussels with their broth and lemon halves.

Steps:

• In a saucepan, over high heat, combine fish stock, saffron and white wine, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmering and let cook for 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In a separate saucepan, over high heat, add the butter and garlic. Cook until the garlic is tender. Add saffron broth and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients including the mussels and cover.
• When the mussels open up remove the pan from the heat and let it seat for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve in a bowl and garnish with a slice of fresh lemon or lime.

Steps:

• To clean the mussels, put them in a large bowl with 2 quarts of water and the flour and soak for 30 minutes, or until the mussels disgorge any sand. Drain the mussels, then remove the "beard" from each with your fingers. If they're dirty, scrub the mussels with a brush under running water. Discard any mussels whose shells aren't tightly shut.
• In a large non-aluminum stockpot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes; then add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the shallots are translucent. Add the tomatoes, saffron, parsley, thyme, wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
• Add the mussels, stir well, then cover the pot, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until all the mussels are opened (discard any that do not open). With the lid on, shake the pot once or twice to be sure the mussels don't burn on the bottom. Pour the mussels and the sauce into a large bowl and serve hot.

Steps:

• Clean and debeard mussels Holding mussels under cool running water, scrub with a stiff sponge (or vegetable brush); then debeard: Grip the tough fibers extending from shell and pull to remove (discard beards).
• Prepare cooking liquid Steep the saffron in the wine for 10 minutes. (Saffron is soluble in water, not fat, so it won't release its color or flavor if added directly to the butter.) Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a shallow stockpot. Once it's foamy, add the shallots, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until shallots are transparent and garlic is soft, about 3 minutes, stirring every so often to keep the garlic from scorching. Pour in the wine and saffron, then add the tomatoes and return to a simmer, stirring once or twice.
• Steam mussels Add the mussels and cover tightly. Cook until all the mussels open, about 6 minutes, stirring once about halfway through. Discard any unopened mussels. (If using wild mussels, strain broth through a cheeseclothlined sieve to remove any sand, if necessary.) Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve Sprinkle with parsley before ladling the mussels and broth into bowls.
• Ingredients
• Wild mussels will have a more pronounced taste than farmed mussels, but can be more challenging to clean (they are worth the extra effort). When buying, avoid those with cracked shells or a strong odor. It's best to buy mussels the day you plan to cook them; store on a damp cloth in the refrigerator, in a covered container.

Steps:

• Whisk crème fraîche and egg yolks in medium bowl to blend. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Add Cognac and ignite with match. Let flames burn out; whisk in lemon juice and saffron. Set both mixtures aside.
• Place mussels in heavy large pot; pour in wine. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot and cook until mussels open, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Using tongs, transfer mussels to baking sheet (discard any mussels that do not open). Remove top half of each mussel shell; divide mussels in bottom shells among 4 bowls. Tent with foil.
• Strain mussel cooking liquid from pot through sieve lined with damp paper towel into skillet with shallot mixture. Boil over medium-high heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Very slowly whisk hot liquid into crème fraîche mixture; return to same skillet. Stir over low heat just until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over mussels. Garnish with chives.
• Sold at some supermarkets. If unavailable, heat 1 cup whipping cream to lukewarm (85°F). Remove from heat and mix in 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover and let stand in warm draft-free area until slightly thickened, 24 to 48 hours, depending on temperature of room. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy, three-quart saucepan. Add the onion, fennel and garlic, cover and sweat over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the saffron, tomato puree, wine, stock, thyme and bay leaves. Simmer uncovered for one hour. Strain.
• Just before serving, reheat the tomato mixture to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover and steam until the mussels open, about 10 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, divide the mussels among four soup plates. Season the broth to taste with pepper flakes and pour over the mussels. Serve at once with saffron-aioli toasts.