🍛 Curry Mussels
Curry mussels are a flavorful seafood dish where fresh mussels are steamed in a fragrant curry sauce — often coconut-based — until they open and absorb all the spices. The result is aromatic, slightly spicy, and perfect for dipping crusty bread.
🦪 What You’ll Need
- 2 lbs (1 kg) fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped
- 1–2 tbsp curry paste or curry powder
- 1 can (13–14 oz) coconut milk
- ½ cup seafood or vegetable broth (or white wine)
- Juice of ½ lime
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Salt to taste
👩🍳 How to Make Them
- Sauté aromatics – Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic; cook until soft.
- Add curry – Stir in curry paste or powder and cook 1 minute to bloom spices.
- Add liquids – Pour in coconut milk and broth/wine. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add mussels – Cover and steam 5–7 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, until mussels open.
- Finish – Discard any unopened mussels. Add lime juice and garnish with cilantro.
🌶 Flavor Profile
- Creamy and slightly sweet (from coconut milk)
- Aromatic and warm (from curry)
- Briny and fresh (from mussels)
- Bright finish (from lime)
🍞 Serving Ideas
- With crusty bread to soak up sauce
- Over jasmine rice
- With warm naan
💡 Tips
- Only cook mussels that are tightly closed before cooking.
- Don’t overcook — they get rubbery fast.
- Thai red curry paste makes it spicier; yellow curry powder is milder.
If you’d like, I can also share a French-style curry mussels version with cream and white wine instead of coconut milk.
