Pasta with smoked mussels and basil cream sauce
 

This was inspired by a dish I had at Bella Italia, in Port Angeles, WA.
But that version used smoked salmon ravioli instead of mussels. One of
our local markets sells some very good shelled and smoked mussels,
probably from nearby shellfish farms in Puget Sound. These are not
canned - they are sold in the fish department refrigerator case and they
are very good.

No measurements here. You want measurements? Hire a surveyor.

Melt butter in a large pan, add chopped garlic and cook until starting
to brown. Slice some fresh basil into thin strips. Add chicken broth,
cream, the basil, and a pinch of thyme. Cook until reduced and
thickened.

Meanwhile cook some pasta. I used ziti.

Add the mussels to the sauce and cover the pan. Cook until the mussels
are heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning. I added a bit of sugar
and freshly ground pepper.

Apply grated parmesan at the table if desired. We had this with a
sweet/sour cucumber and onion salad, and a crisp white wine (South
Australian Viognier). Cindy thought it was a bit on the bland side, but
she rarely likes anything with cream sauce. I thought the sauce blended
well with the subtle smokiness of the mussels.

--
Julian Vrieslander

Pasta with smoked mussels and basil cream sauce
 

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> I usually smoke my own mussels but I saw a brand the other day that
> were on the half shell and cryovaced flat to a stiff board - about a
> dozen in there. Were yours similar? I'd like to try them to see how
> mine compare.

The ones I bought were just loose (without shells) in the usual foam
tray with clear shrinkwrap. Our favorite market also sells
un-prepackaged smoked fish and shellfish from the stacks on ice in the
display case. The smoked mussels were not cheap: $20/lb. We had about
0.6 lb to split between the two of us. That was plenty, since there was
pasta, too.

Your method, smoking them at home, sounds like a much better deal. How
do you do it? How long do they keep after they've been smoked?

--
Julian Vrieslander

Pasta with smoked mussels and basil cream sauce
 

"Julian Vrieslander" ha scritto nel messaggio
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>
>> I usually smoke my own mussels but I saw a brand the other day that>>
>> were on the half shell and cryovaced flat to a stiff board - about a
>> dozen in there. Were yours similar? I'd like to try them to see how>>
>> mine compare.
>
> The ones I bought were just loose (without shells) in the usual foam >
> tray with clear shrinkwrap.

> Your method, smoking them at home, sounds like a much better deal. How >
> do you do it? How long do they keep after they've been smoked?

One of my favorite restaurant meals as a teenager was smoked oysters at a
barbecue joint in Jacksonville Beach, FL. They were just laid on a grid
over smokey wood coals until the opened then served piled up on metal beer
trays. No reason why one couldn't do mussels exactly the same way?

Inside, I would attempt to smoke them in a pot with a foil packet of brown
sugar.