Jamaican style mussels

original post: http://greedygirlcooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/jamaican-style-mussels.html

Ingredients

12 cleaned mussels

2 table spoon butter

¼ cup chopped shallots

5 shredded garlic cloves

½ scotch bonnet pepper minced

Pearl Onions (hand full)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoon fresh parsley

½ cup coconut milk

1-2 splash white wine

Check the greedy tips for how to clean mussels

Instructions

• Chop shallots, parsley, pepper, shred garlic and peel pearl onions
• Melt butter in a hot sauce pan
• Add the garlic, pepper, shallots, pearl onions, salt, and sugar sauté for a minute
• Add the clean mussels to the mix and stir coating with the seasonings
• Add the coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of the parsley turn on low and cover allowing all the mussels to open
• Continue to sauté, add the wine, and black pepper, stir and reduce the sauce. Continue to sauté and reduce the sauce until all the mussels are open. Discard any mussels that do not open during the cooking process.
• To serve you can toss this with spaghetti or with grilled bread.

Greedy tips:

• Rinse the mussels thoroughly with water and use a brush or steel wool to remove any barnacles, seaweed or any debris that may be on the outer shell. (You want it to be as spotless as possible because the shell cooks in your sauce) Remove the hair (beard) from the bottom of the mussel by pulling firmly against it. Place the mussels in a dish of clean cold water to soak to allow excess sand, and salt to seep from the insides. After about 20 minutes remove them from the water wipe them dry and set aside for immediate use.
• The general consensus is that if you cook a mussel and it does not open throw it out its not good. I have read several seafood specialist who deem that a myth and untrue, but I am not the one to test that theory out. Stay on the safe side, throw out the unopened ones.