Emily Loves Food

While on Great Barrier I also made:
Chocolate Coconut Fudge
Express Pizza Dough

In New Zealand, we’re so lucky to have access to these beautiful New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussels, be it from a store or from a lonely beach.

They’re legitimately the best mussels in the world: rich in iron, omega-3, high protein but low fat and low calorie, and packed with iodine, selenium, manganese and niacin. They’ve been found to ease joint pain, increase brain function, act as a probiotic and all other kinds of super-foody stuff.

Plus, they taste bloody awesome.

For the past four days, Tom and I have been draped in the sun like basking lizards at his batch (holiday home) on Great Barrier Island. And lucky for us, the island only has a handful of people on it, so the wild mussels that grow on the rocks outcrops along the sea shore are anyone’s game – as long as they’re a decent size (there’s actually no legal size, but as a gentleman’s rule, nobody takes ones less than roughly 12 cm in length) and you adhere to the bag limit (how many you’re allowed to take) for that particular area.

So we looked up when low tide was, and at 7 in the morning the next day, we pulled on boat shoes and, bucket in hand, made the first footprints on the early-morning beach while the clouds were still pink from the sunrise, and climbed up onto the rocks.

Turns out collecting mussels is a pretty tricky business. Every fifth wave that crashed into the rocks managed to splatter spume and spray all over, and the pools and crevices would go from ankle deep to waist deep as the water surged in and out. And all the while we were moving our hands – often blindly – over the rock bed, trying to find the big mussels. In retrospect, we should have worn gloves, because I honestly stuck my finger in every manner of starfish and anemone and shore-dwelling sucker.

Then, just as we were coming to an end, Tom called me up to look at an octopus that was snuggled into the rock (which, I’ll admit, was very exciting) an especially instant wave came and knocked over our bucket, sending our hard earned mussels flying. So while I tried desperately to retrieve them in the sandy bed of a rock fissure, Tom climbed down onto the sea-facing side of the rock to get replacement ‘big ones’. And we managed to replenish most of our stock, until a monster of a wave crashed into the rock, completely saturating everything and knocking Tom completely off, and then back into the jagged rock face. So he was bleeding, his hands were lacerated and I was freezing – but we had a bucket of mussels.

Enough, in fact, for two mussel ventures – Mussels with White Wine, Garlic and Spaghetti and some classic mussel fritters.

Totally easy to cook, totally impressive and most importantly, totally delicious.

Mussels with White Wine, Garlic and Spaghetti – Serves 2

Prep time: 15 mins  Cook time: 30 mins

• 16 New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely sliced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• Shake of red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup mussel stock or water
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• massive grind of salt and pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Roughly 120g dried spaghetti

In a small frying pan/skillet, heat 1 tbs butter over medium heat. Add one of the coarsely chopped cloves of garlic, and cook until soft and fragrant and the butter is slightly browned. Set aside.

Place mussels in a steamer over a medium heat, or in a pot with 1 – 2 cm of simmering water. The mussels will release a lot of their own liquid, so it’s important not to use too much water. Boil or steam for roughly 5 mins, or until the mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the mussel stock for later use, provided it’s largely without debris/sand. If not, don’t bother.

Remove the mussels from their shells, and place in a bowl with the butter and garlic. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for up to five hours in the fridge.

Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan, and cook the remaining clove of galic until soft, fragrant and slightly golden. Add the red pepper flakes, and cook for a further 1 – 2 mins. Add the white wine and stock/water, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer very gently until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup (roughly 10 mins).

While the sauce reduces, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Once cooked, at the spaghetti, mussels, parsley, salt and pepper and lemon juice to the white wine sauce, tossing to thoroughly combine.

Divide into two bowls, squirt over a bit more lemon, and eat immediately.

Mussel Fritters - Makes 4 fritters

Prep time: 10 mins  Cook time: 15 mins

• 16 New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 cloves garlic, coarsely sliced
• 1/2 cup self-rasing flour
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsely
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• massive grind or salt and pepper
• a little oil, for frying

In a small frying pan/skillet, heat 1 tbs butter over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook until soft and fragrant and the butter is slightly browned. Set aside.

Place mussels in a steamer over a medium heat, or in a pot with 1 – 2 cm of simmering water. The mussels will release a lot of their own liquid, so it’s important not to use too much water. Boil or steam for roughly 5 mins, or until the mussels open. Discard any unopened mussels.

Remove the mussels from their shells, and place in a bowl with the butter and garlic. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside for up to five hours in the fridge.

When you’re ready to use them, coarsely chop up the mussel meat.

Place flour in a bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. Make a well in the middle, and add the mussels, spring onions, parsley and eggs. Stir to combine, then add the milk, stirring into a thick batter.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan or skillet, and spoon in batter to form fritters, smoothing the top to form a more even surface. Cook for 2 – 3 mins, or until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side for 1 – 2 mins or until golden and thoroughly cooked through.

Repeat with the remaining batter.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges to squeeze over.

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