With warmer weather comes more and more time spent outdoors. For my family, that means firing up the grill and eating outside on the patio. Good food, good drinks and good company make this girl one happy mama.
When my husband, daughter and I have the chance to sneak away for a long weekend at my parents' house, the weekend usually involves a big family dinner with my parents, grandma, brother and sister-in-law. On the menu? Mussels. Always mussels.
I know, mussels are not a traditional BBQ menu item. Although they can be cooked on the grill, we prefer to prepare them indoor on the stove top.
We have our go-to mussel recipe, but once in a while, we like to switch it up. Like this with this recipe for Coconut Curry Mussels.
Coconut Curry Mussels
Serves: 8 people, as appetizer
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. fresh mussels
- 3 tsp butter
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 3 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can coconut milk
- 3 tbsp yellow curry powder
- french bread, sliced
- optional: fresh basil, chopped for garnish
- Clean mussels thoroughly and remove all beards (the brown wispy bits hanging out of the shells) by scrubbing. Discard any dead mussels (ones that are open or with broken shells).
- Once cleaned, set mussels aside in a bowl of ice.
- In a large pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the can of diced tomatoes and stir to combine with the onions and garlic. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
- Add the can of coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Add the mussels and cover. Cook for eight to ten minutes. Shake pan every few minutes to move mussels around.
- Pour mussels and sauce into bowl and garnish with a small amount of chopped fresh basil (optional).
- Serve with a loaf of sliced french bread to sop up the sauce.
In honour of not sharing a recipe in a few months (ahem, five to be exact), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to inspire others to enjoy family time outdoors with some good food, and maybe even this delicious seafood feast.
How do you enjoy family time? What are you go-to family meals? I'd love to hear!
