Mussels are one of the most affordable mollusk species. Despite the relatively low price, they are as good as their more expensive counterparts. Therefore, if you want to please the guests and loved ones with seafood, but do not spend a lot of money, you should pay attention to mussels. Of these, you can cook a lot of a variety of dishes, and in a very short time. One of the most delicious and harmonious mussels are considered in a creamy garlic sauce. This dish can be found in the menu of expensive restaurants, but cooking it at home will not be difficult. The main thing is to find a suitable recipe and learn the advice of experienced chefs.
Cooking Features
Despite the fact that mussels for the domestic consumer have long ceased to be a deficit, not all housewives are well aware of how a quality product should look like, which mollusks should be preferred, and how they should be cooked at all. In fact, cooking mussels is no big deal, and you can easily choose them.
- Housewives often have a question about which mussels are better: peeled or in shells. There is no single answer. On the one hand, mussels in shells need more thorough preliminary preparation, they need to be boiled in order for the shells to open and clean. But, on the other hand, you can easily determine how fresh mollusks you came across: all lifeless, spoiled ones will not open within 5-7 minutes of cooking. So in this case, you can be sure that you will not treat anyone to missing mollusks.
- If you buy mussels in the shells, make sure they are not split. It is not necessary to take and open shells. Small shells are also a bad choice: they have very little meat. It is better to buy rather large shells with mussels, and about the same size.
- When purchasing already cleaned and frozen mussels, pay attention to their color. The presence of spots of unpleasant color indicates a stale product.
- Mussels, regardless of whether they are peeled or in shells, should be thoroughly washed before cooking. Do not interfere for some time to put them in cold water, then rinse. Shells are brushed, even scraped with a blunt knife. If you wash the mussels is not good enough, they can fall sand, which will spoil all the pleasure from a delicious dinner or lunch.
- Mussels in the shells often need to boil for 5 minutes before cooking. All shells that did not have time to open during this time should be discarded. Sometimes they are cooked without boiling, but in this case the unopened shells are removed from the dish and are not used for food.
- Mussels cook quickly enough, so it makes no sense to exceed the cooking time of these clams, as indicated in the recipe.
Mussels in a creamy garlic sauce will be tasty and hot and cold. They can be served with pasta, rice, vegetables. They harmonize well with white wine.
Midi in shells in a creamy garlic sauce
Composition:
- mussels in the wings - 0.5 kg;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- cream - 100 ml;
- butter - 30 g;
- ground black pepper to taste;
- fresh parsley - 50 g.
Method of preparation:
- After thawing the mussels in the refrigerator, put them in cold water, leave for an hour. If some of the shells emerge during this time, they must be thrown away: the mollusks in them are already dead. But the probability that you will not have unrevealed shells in the finished dish increases greatly.
- Clean the shells with a metal sponge or scrape with a knife, rinse again and dry with paper towels.
- Cut the garlic into small pieces.
- Chop the parsley.
- Heat the butter in a saucepan, put the garlic pieces into it and fry them on low heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour out mussels in a saucepan. Fry them in garlic butter for about 5 minutes.
- Add parsley, pepper, salt to cream. Pour the mussels and simmer them for 10 minutes under the lid. This time is enough for the shell to open.
Mussels cooked according to this recipe are served as a main dish. It is desirable to place them in deep enough plates so that quite a lot of creamy sauce can fit in them.
Mussels in shells in a garlic-creamy sauce with cheese
Composition:
- mussels in shells - 0, 35 kg;
- hard cheese - 100 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- dry white wine - 100 ml;
- cream - 100 ml;
- butter - 50 g;
- olive oil - 20 ml;
- salt, seasonings - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash mussels thoroughly, scrape with a knife.
- Boil the water, place the clams in it and boil them under the lid for 5-6 minutes.
- Carefully remove all opened mussels, remove the upper flap. Put on a greased or baked baking sheet in an olive oil.
- Peel the onions and cut them into small pieces.
- Pass garlic through a special press.
- Melt the butter in a pan, put the onion in it. Fry it for 5 minutes.
- Pour in wine, stir. Stew the onion for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the cream, add garlic, pepper and other seasonings. At the same stage, you can put greens, add salt.
- Stir and wait for the sauce to boil, after which you can remove it from the heat.
- Pour the mussels in the form or on the pan with the sauce. Cover them with foil.
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees and put a pan with clams in it.
- Grind finely the cheese. Remove the foil from the mussels, sprinkle them with cheese. Return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes.
Mussels cooked according to this recipe are served in shells. Extract tasty meat from them is not difficult. This will also be possible with shell flaps, which should be clamped with special tongs. If you have no such forceps, you can do with the usual cutlery.
Mussels in a creamy garlic sauce with Italian herbs
Composition:
- peeled mussels - 0, 6 kg;
- cream - 0, 2 l;
- onions - 150 g;
- butter - 50 g;
- fresh basil - 20 g;
- dried Italian herbs - 10 g;
- black ground pepper - 5 g;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- salt - to taste;
- olive oil - 50 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse thawed mussels and place on a napkin so that it absorbs excess moisture.
- Free onions from the husk, cut into small cubes.
- Crush garlic with a special press.
- Finely chop the basil with a knife.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan, mix it with olive oil. When they are well warmed, put onions in them.
- Fry the onion over medium heat until it turns golden.
- Reduce heat and pour in cream. Stir, bring to a boil and boil for a couple of minutes.
- Remove the cream from the heat, add spicy herbs to them, fresh and dried, ground black pepper and salt. Add the garlic. Mix well.
- Put the mussels in the pan and pour over the sauce.
- Cover the form with foil and place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees.
- After 10 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking the mussels in a creamy garlic sauce for another 5 minutes.
Mussels in a creamy garlic sauce flavored with Italian herbs combine very well with pasta. Do not forget to pour the dish with remaining sauce.
Mussels in a creamy garlic sauce with cream cheese
Composition:
- mussels cooked and frozen, peeled - 0, 3 kg;
- onions - 75 g;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- cream cheese - 100 g;
- cream - 150 ml;
- fresh basil - 20 g;
- salt, pepper - to taste;
- Provencal herbs - 10 g;
- olive oil - 30 ml;
- butter - 30 g.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare mussels by defrosting them, washing and drying.
- Onion, peeled, cut into small cubes.
- Cut the garlic very finely with a knife.
- Grind cream cheese on a coarse grater.
- Chop greens with a knife.
- Mix the cream and olive oil, fry in them until a golden onion is formed.
- Place mussels onion, fry them with onions for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the mollusks from the pan to the refractory mold.
- Pour the cream in the pan and bring it to a boil.
- Add cheese, basil, Provencal herbs, pepper and salt to cream. Stir and boil, stirring, for several minutes, until the sauce is smooth.
- Pour mussel sauce.
- Turn on the oven and wait until the temperature reaches 180 degrees.
- Place the form in the oven for 10 minutes.
The creamy garlic sauce according to this recipe is quite thick. When baking, mussels will be browned and covered with a cream cheese crust. This dish will decorate any table, even laid on the most solemn occasion.
Mussels in a creamy garlic sauce have a harmonious taste. They fit almost any garnish, but it is not required. Mussels are often served as a separate dish. They are quite nourishing because they contain a lot of protein. At the same time, mussels in a creamy garlic sauce are considered to be quite a light and healthy dish that is well served for dinner. If you prepared them for the festive table, do not forget to put on it a bottle of dry white wine.
