The Humble Bearded Mussel

When I was a little girl, the only mussels I knew came from a rectangular tin, preserved in oil. It was a staple of everyone when going on picnics, eaten with Snacktime crackers. But as I grew older and my palate craved for new things to experience, I always wanted to taste fresh mussels in the shell.

Often regarded as the poor man's shellfish, mussels are reasonably cheap and plentiful. Add them to a seafood soup, and the smells of the sea are sure to make one salivate. Watching the Hairy Bikers and other chefs cook up a storm, inspired me to try my hand at fresh mussels.

So here is a simple recipe I came across on quite a few cooking shows, which I have adapted in the Halaal manner.

Ingredients:
Drizzle of oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1kg mussles, cleaned and debearded
250ml fresh cream
handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Method:
This dish is best made in a deep pot which can be covered with a lid. Saute` the onion and garlic in the oil on medium heat until transluscent. Add the cleaned mussels and a splash of water and close with the lid. The water will create steam which will cook the mussels. Cook covered for about 5 minutes and then give it a stir. Add the cream and stir to coat the mussels. Lastly sprinkle the fresh parsley and stir. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread and some lovely company to share.

My favourite fish store is Fish 4 Africa, in Victoria rd, Woodstock. They have an amazing array of fresh fish and seafood, of which, one of my favourite fish is the Blue-nose. But let's leave that recipe for another time,lol. As they say at Fish 4 Africa: anything fresher is still swimming........gotta go catch me a blue-nose first.....

Let me end off with a fishy quote: "Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be fish......"