Mussles for Muscles

Don’t be intimidated by the fanciness of serving mussels, they’re simple and quick to prepare. Mussels are an inexpensive meal, approximately $5 for the suggested serving of 2 pounds for 2 people, and a serious nutritional bang for your buck.
Shellfish, including mussels, are extremely nutrient-dense because you consume the whole animal – organs and meat, and they feed off a wide range of microscopic plankton, more whole organisms.
T
hey are an excellent source of iron, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, and much more.
Farmed PEI mussels are safe and sustainable, definitely your best choice and available in most seafood departments. Be sure they’re still alive when you buy them, they should close quickly when you tap them, and keep them in the fridge on ice for a day or 2 at most.

Mussels in Wine & Cream Sauce
2# fresh PEI mussels
4 tbsp organic butter
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Fresh or dried thyme
2/3 cup dry white wine or homemade chicken stock
2 tbsp creme fraiche or organic whipping cream (optional)
Fresh parsley, optional

Slice celery, smash garlic, and chop fresh thyme.
Melt butter gently in deep pot.
Add vegetables, cook gently until soft, about 15 min. Rinse the mussels in a colander.
Discard any open ones.
Using your fingers or a vegetable peeler, remove the “beard”. Wait until you’re just about to cook them, as this starts to kill them. If you don’t see one, don’t worry, some cultured mussels don’t have them.
Add wine to vegetables, bring to a boil.
Add the mussels, cook for 3-5 minutes, removing each mussel with tongs as they fully open.
Turn off heat and discard any mussels still closed after 5 minutes.
Add cream and parsley to sauce, pour over mussels, and serve.
A slice of sourdough toast will clean up the extra sauce nicely for you 😉

Using this classic French recipe, 2lbs will serve
2 people as an entree, 4 as an appetizer.

Enjoy the meal!

Coach Rach
3 Square Meals