Steamed Mussels with Creamy Fish Filling
Submitted by SunnySadie
Steamed mussels topped with a Thai-spiced fish mousse of ginger, lemongrass, shrimp paste, and basil. An elegant bamboo-steamer appetizer for a Southeast Asian dinner.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minA showstopper appetizer with serious Southeast Asian backbone. Fresh mussels get a brief steam to open, then the top shells come off and each mussel gets crowned with a creamy, spoon-piped fish mousse spiked with ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and shrimp paste.
The mousse is where the technique happens. Raw fish fillet blitzed in a food processor with one egg white and a tablespoon of cream emulsifies into a smooth, silky paste (what French cooks call a farce). Fold in the aromatics you’ve sweated down in oil, top each mussel, and the whole tray goes into a bamboo steamer for just three minutes over boiling water. The mousse firms into a custardy cap while the mussel underneath stays tender.
Shrimp paste is the non-negotiable flavor anchor. A single teaspoon brings that pungent, savory depth that defines Thai cooking. Basil and minced red chili on top add fresh heat against the rich mousse, and the bamboo steamer gives off a faintly woodsy aroma that you can’t fake with a metal setup.
Chef Tips
- Debeard the mussels just before cooking. The beard is the fibrous strand poking from the shell; yank it toward the hinge to remove.
- Any mussel that doesn’t open in the first steam is dead. Throw it out.
- Chill the fish, egg white, and cream before processing. Cold ingredients emulsify; warm ones break.
- Don’t overcrowd the bamboo steamer. Mussels need room for steam to circulate around each shell.
Variations
- Swap fish for raw shrimp in the mousse for a sweeter, more shellfish-forward filling.
- Replace the shrimp paste with a teaspoon of Thai red curry paste for a different aromatic profile.
- Serve the cooked mussels on a bed of wilted bok choy or a swoosh of coconut-lime sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
1: Scrub mussels; remove beards. Place mussels in pan, cover with cold water, bring to boil, simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes until mussels begin to open. Drain mussels, rinse under cold water; drain well. Remove and discard top shell from each mussel.
2: Heat oil in pan, add onion, ginger, garlic and lemon grass, cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add paste, cook, stirring, for 1 minute; cool.
3: Blend or process fish, egg white and cream until smooth. Combine fish mixture, onion mixture and basil in bowl; mix well, Spoon mixture onto mussel in shells, smooth surface, top with chilli.
4: Just before serving, place mussels in bamboo steamer in single layer. Cook, covered tightly, over pan of boiling water, for about 3 minutes or until fish mixture is cooked through.
Comments
