How To Make Spicy Pickled Mussels With Turnips | Tasting Table Recipe
These mussels are packing heat
My love for pickled mussels began when I started working at New York's Estela. Chef Ignacio Mattos dreamed up a dish that has become the staple on his much-adored menu.
When developing my own pickled mussels recipe, our editorial director, Adam Sachs, jokingly warned me not to draw too much inspiration from Mattos's beloved dish. So I dropped the Grenache and sherry vinegar marinade, got rid of the aioli and went in a completely different direction.
I decided to pull some of my favorite Asian flavors: ginger, sesame, rice vinegar, soy sauce and Chinese hot oil. What results is an acidic pickling liquid that contains some lip-smacking heat. Serve it with crusty bread and see what you've been missing.
To learn more, read "Cool Moules."
Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- One ½-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon La-Yu (Chinese hot chile oil)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground fennel seeds
- 1 bunch (about 4 ounces) baby turnips with greens, trimmed and cut into ⅛-inch rounds, greens reserved
- Twelve ½-inch thick baguette slices, sliced on a bias, grilled or toasted under a broiler
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until completely softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking until fragrant, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean and heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the mussels and stir for a minute. Add the wine. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 3 minutes.
- Drain the mussels in a colander placed over a large mixing bowl to catch the cooking liquid. Remove the mussels from their shells; discard any that do not open. Transfer the mussels to the bowl with the shallots and garlic and set aside. Strain the reserved mussel juices through a fine mesh strainer over the mussels. Add the vinegar, chile oil, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and ground fennel seeds. Cover and refrigerate.
- While the mussels are marinating, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the turnips and cook, until almost tender, about 2 minutes. Add the turnip greens and cook until they just begin to wilt, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the turnips and greens to a paper towel-lined sheet tray and allow to dry. Add the turnips and greens to the pickled mussel mixture and continue to marinate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- To serve, take the pickled mussels out of the refrigerator an hour before serving to bring them up to room temperature. Spoon the mussels into 4 small bowls and serve with grilled bread and cilantro sprigs.