Best Steamed Mussels With Fennel And Ouzo Recipes

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES, OUZO, AND CREAM

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5 minutes.
• Mix white wine, ouzo, and heavy cream into the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil, and salt.
• Cover saucepan, and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH FENNEL AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and fennel; cook until just soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add the carrots and season with salt and pepper; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are just soft, about 4 minutes. Add the vermouth and boil to reduce slightly. Add the tomatoes and tarragon, then cover the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water and the mussels. Raise the heat to high, cover and cook until the mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes. (Check halfway through and transfer any open mussels to a serving bowl.) Transfer all the mussels to a serving bowl, discarding any that do not open. Season the sauce with pepper and, if needed, salt, and pour over the mussels. Serve with the bread.
• Photograph By Antonis Achilleos

FENNEL-STEAMED MUSSELS, PROVENCE STYLE

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat; a minute later, add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, and tomatoes and tarragon if you're using them. Bring to a boil, cook for about a minute, add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.
• Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.
• Variations
• There are many, many herbs, spices, vegetables, and other seasonings that can lend a licorice flavor, including anise seeds or ground anise; five-spice powder; ouzo or raki, the anise-scented liqueurs of the eastern Mediterranean; and tarragon, chervil, even basil-especially Thai basil. (You could probably throw in a few pieces of Good&Plenty while you're at it.)
• Or you can go super-minimal and make plain steamed mussels. The procedure is the same, but omit all ingredients except mussels, oil, and garlic. Shake the pot a couple of times while cooking. These are great with a little melted butter (laced with minced garlic if you like) drizzled over them and a big loaf of crusty bread.
• Mussels
• Every year, we see more and more cultivated mussels, most often from Prince Edward Island, which is fast becoming the mussel farming capital of North America. These are easy to clean (almost clean enough to eat without washing, but still worth a quick going over), with very few rejects and plump meat. Wild mussels are far tastier but harder to clean.
• When cleaning mussels, discard any with broken shells. If the mussels have beards-the hairy vegetative growth that is attached to the shell-trim them off. Those mussels that remain closed after the majority have been steamed open can be pried open with a knife (a butter knife works fine) at the table.

FENNEL-STEAMED MUSSELS PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Place the oil in a large pot and turn the heat to medium; 1 minute later, add the garlic, fennel, fennel seeds, liqueur, and tomatoes and tarragon if you're using them. Bring to a boil, cook for about 1 minute. Add the mussels, cover the pot, and turn the heat to high.
• Cook, shaking the pot occasionally, until the mussels open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and fennel to a serving bowl, then strain any liquid over them and serve.

STEAMED MUSSELS WITH TOMATOES, GARLIC, AND OUZO

Steps:

• In a large pot on high heat saute the onion in the olive oil until tender but not brown. Add the garlic. Continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mussels, and parsley. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until all of the mussels open. Discard the unopened ones and with a large spoon stir the mussels around. Add the ouzo and taste sauce for seasoning.

STEAMED MUSSELS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sweat the shallots until translucent and without any color, 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer before adding the mussels. Cover tightly with a lid and steam until the mussels open, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mussels from the pot to avoid over-cooking, and discard any that do not open. Serve alongside the cooking liquid.