Chilled Marinated Mussels with Summer Veggies
I love recipes that are easy to make and feed a crowd. The summer for me is about eating tons of fresh bright food. The more local the better. We eat lots and of fish and shellfish in the summer. I love to tell my kiddos that whatever they are eating was swimming around in the bay with them that morning.
Clams , Mussels and their assorted cousins are some of my favorite things to eat. They are best served in a large bowl with loaves of crusty bread and large bowls for the empty shells. There is something very satisfying about standing around munching on something yummy from a giant bowl with a glass of wine and several good friends.
Mussels are wonderful chilled and marinated- the possibilities are endless – one could make a mayo based dressing with curry- pesto , fresh salsa- the list goes on and on. I like this recipe in that it incorporates fresh summer veggies with a bright vinegarette laced with fresh herbs.
Serve on a large platter and serve with a child glass of wine.
Chilled Marinated Mussels with Summer Veggies
6 lb bag of mussels cleaned
1 red pepper finely chopped
1 medium green tomato finely chopped
1 shallot finely chopped
1 bunch chopped parsley or dill
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoon chopped capers
Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
In a large pot add mussels and an inch of water. Cover and turn on medium high. Let cook for about 10 mins or until the mussels are opened. Drain mussels in a colander.
While the mussels are cooking in a large bowl add the oil, vinegar, mustard , capers and several turns of black pepper. Mix well. To the bowl add the peppers, green tomato, shallot and fresh herbs. Combine. Add the mussels when ready- with a large spoon mix the mussels into the vinegarette- you want to make sure to get all of the dressing on the bottom into the mussels. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 5 hours. Before you serve add one teaspoon of salt and mix well. Serve on a large platter with bowl for the shells.
* you can add in a diced sera no or jalepeno peppers if you would like some heat. I omitted since this was served at a dinner heavy in kids.
