Baked Mussels With Mushrooms And Bacon Recipes

JAPANESE-STYLE BAKED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to: Broil, top heat, 500°.
• Prep ingredients: Ingredients are for about a dozen New Zealand Greenlipped, or two dozen Black Mussels. If using fresh: quickly saute in a hot pan with a touch of oil until they pop open. Remove from pan. Pull meat from mussels, slice into three pieces and place back into mussel half. If using precooked frozen, remove meat from mussel half, cut into three pieces and place back into mussel half. Arrange in a large baking pan, broiler safe.
• For dressing and cooking: Combine all ingredients. Place about a tablespoon of dressing over each mussel half. Sprinkle with a little Panko. Broil until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from baking pan and top with green onion.
• Tobiko can be found in the freezer section at most asian markets.

BAKED MUSSELS WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC).
• Put mussels, pilsner and cream in a large pot, cover with a lid, bring to a boil and steam for 2 to 3 minutes, or until mussels have opened.
• Remove from heat and drain, reserving cooking liquid in a bowl and discarding any mussels whose shells remain closed.
• Strain cooking liquid through a fine sieve, place in a pan and boil for 5 minutes or until thickened. Reserve for sauce.
• Remove mussels from shells, separate top and bottom halves of shells, discarding top halves. Reserve remaining shells and mussels separately.
• Melt butter over high heat in a large skillet. Sauté shallots, smoked bacon and mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until bacon is cooked and vegetables are soft.
• Combine vegetable mixture with reserved mussels, reduced cooking liquid and chopped parsley.
• Spoon mussels and mixture into reserved mussel shells. Place in a baking dish, top with grated cheese (at this point you can refrigerate for up to 24 hours until ready to serve) and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and mussels are warmed through.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

MUSSELS WITH BACON, SHALLOTS, AND APPLE

Steps:

• Cook bacon over a medium high heat in a wide saucepan until rendered and crisp. Drain off some of the fat. Add shallots and apple. Cook until slightly caramelized. Add mussels and stir to coat. Deglaze with white wine, apple cider, and vinegar. Reduce slightly. Add cream, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until all the mussels are open and the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Serve in the pan or transfer to a large, wide bowl. Serve with toasted country bread.

MUSHROOM BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and line a third baking sheet or pan with paper towels. Brush each parchment-lined baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the mushroom slices in a single layer, very close together, on the parchment and brush lightly with the remaining vegetable oil.
• Bake the mushrooms until slightly softened and brown, 25 to 30 minutes, then flip the mushrooms over, rotate the pans in the oven and bake until the mushrooms are well-browned and the edges are crispy, another 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to the paper-towel lined baking sheet to dry for a few minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and paprika. Carefully toss the baked mushrooms in the marinade until evenly coated. Place half the marinated mushroom strips in a single layer (it's ok of they overlap) into a large metal steamer basket or colander that fits snugly into a large, heavy metal pot.
• Prepare a stovetop smoker: Line the bottom of a large, heavy metal pot with foil. Place two large handfuls of applewood chips in the bottom of the pot. Place the pot over medium heat and use a lighter to light a few of the wood chips. Once the chips are smoking, place the mushroom-filled steamer basket or colander inside the pot, then place a tight-fitting lid on top. Allow the mushrooms to smoke for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how strong of a smoky flavor you want. Repeat with the second batch.
• After the mushrooms are smoked, return them to the baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper and return to the oven until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a low oven before serving.

BARBECUED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Mix the butter and garlic with a big pinch of salt. Heat the barbecue until the coals are ashy white. Lay a sheet of tin foil about 60cm long on the kitchen counter, put another sheet of the same size on top, then add a third sheet about 30cm long across the middle of the other sheets to make a cross shape. Spread the shallots in the middle of the foil, pile the mussels on top, dot the garlic butter all over, then scatter over half the parsley. Season, then fold the foil in at the sides to create an oval bowl shape.
• Pour the wine into the foil bowl and then seal it by scrunching the foil together at the top. Make sure that it's well sealed so that the mussels can steam - use an extra sheet of foil to wrap the whole parcel if necessary. Carefully place the parcel on the barbecue coals and cook for 10 mins. Open the parcel and check the mussels have opened up. Hot steam will billow out, so be careful. Pour in the cream, cover (if your barbecue has a lid) and allow to cook for a few mins longer, so the smoky scents of the barbecue can get in.
• Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve with warm crusty bread.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH LEEKS, THYME & BACON

Steps:

• Scrub and de-beard the mussels. Heat half the butter in a pan, then sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until starting to brown. Add the leeks and thyme, then sweat everything together for 4-5 mins until soft. Turn the heat up high, add the mussels and cider or wine, then cover and cook for 4-5 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mussels have opened. Discard any that don't open. Scoop the mussels and the other bits into a dish, then place the pan back on the heat. Boil the juices for 1 min with the rest of the butter, then pour over the mussels and serve with crusty bread.

MUSSELS STEAMED WITH CIDER & BACON

Steps:

• PREPARATION: Raw mussels MUST be alive when you cook them, so careful preparation is key. Wash them under cold running water until it runs clear, and scrub if necessary. Pull the 'beard' away from each individual mussel - this is the byssus thread, a protein the mussel 'spins' so it can attach itself to rock or rope. Drain and then check; if the shell is tightly shut, this is a good indication that it's alive. If the mussel is open, tap it sharply for a few seconds - if it is alive, it will close. Discard any that appear to be dead as they can decompose very rapidly, and eating one that you aren't sure of is not worth the risk. Don't check them too far in advance; cook within a few minutes to be on the safe side.
• Heat the butter in a pan large enough to easily fit the mussels, then fry the bacon for 4 mins, turning occasionally until it starts becoming crisp. Throw in the shallots and thyme leaves, then cook for 1 min until softened. Whack the heat up to maximum and add the mussels to the pan, then pour over the cider. Place the lid on the pan, give it a good shake, then cook the mussels for 5-7 mins, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that haven't.
• Use a slotted spoon to scoop the mussels into bowls and place the pan back on the heat. Bring the juices to the boil and stir in the crème fraîche, if using. Pour the sauce over the mussels. Serve with hunks of crusty bread for mopping up the sauce.
• COOKING TIPS: Mussels are most often steamed open over a small amount of flavoured liquid, as in Moules marinière, although they can also be oven roasted and are particularly good cooked 'en papillote' (in a bag). Wine, stock, beer and cider are all great for cooking mussels, but take care not to add salt to the liquid as mussel juice can be very salty. Drop the mussels into the liquid, cover with a tight-fitting lid, then cook until they have opened and the meat has settled into one side of the shell; this usually takes 3-4 minutes. Avoid overcooking as the meat shrivels and becomes tough. Check them all again before serving and discard any that haven't opened. If a mussel is unopened at this stage, this indicates that it was already dead. You will probably notice the colour of the meat varies between beige and orange. This is an indication of sex - beige for male and orange for female; there is no difference in flavour. Once cooked, mussels are usually lifted into a bowl and the cooking liquor is reduced by simmering. Pull the meat from one shell and then use that shell as a pincer to remove meat from the rest. Serve simply with crusty bread - lovely!

CRUNCHY BAKED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Scrub the mussels and pull off any beards. Rinse in several changes of cold water, then discard any that are open and do not close when tapped against the side of the sink.
• Drain the mussels and put in a large pan with a splash of water. Bring to the boil, then cover the pan, shaking occasionally, until the mussels are open - this will take 2-3 mins. Drain well, then discard any that remain closed. Heat grill to high.
• Mix the crumbs and zest. Remove one side of each shell, then spread a little butter onto each mussel. Set on a baking tray and sprinkle with crumbs. Grill for 3-4 mins until crunchy.