RECORD STAFF

For mussel lovers, here is a recipes from the files of the South Whidbey Record.

Penn Cove Shellfish, headquartered in Coupeville, is the only shellfish farm which grows and distributes the world famous Penn Cove mussels as well as Mediterranean mussels,

Thee company describes the Mediterranean variety as “America’s finest chef’s choices for sweet and tasty farmed mussels.”

Since 1975, it has been Penn Cove Shellfish’s mission to be the premier provider of the Pacific Coast’s finest sustainably farmed shellfish.

Always fresh in the waters of Penn Cove, they grow, wet store, distribute and export Penn Cove mussels, Mediterranean mussels, Manila clams, and a vast, delicious variety of regionally farmed Pacific and Kumamoto oysters.

Here’s a popular mussel recipe recommended by Coupeville’s Oystercatcher restaurant.

OYSTERCATCHER CLASSIC MUSSELS

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

1 pound mussels

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

½ cup dry white wine

1 lemon wedge

Heat butter and olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add garlic and shallots; stir for about 10 seconds. Add the mussels, shake and stir until coated. Add the thyme, parsley, wine and squeeze the juice from the lemon wedge over the mixture. Give it a good stir. Top with lid and cook until the shells have opened, about 5 minutes.

Serve in a big bowl with crusty bread for dipping. Serves 2. From chef Susan Vanderbeek.

MARINATED MUSSELS

This is a favorite recipe for either our Penn Cove Mussels or our Mediterranean Mussels that is very simple to prepare and provides a good use for mussels if you steamed up too many for dinner or if you just want a delicious mussel appetizer.

For use as an appetizer, figure you will need an average of five mussels per person; this allows for those who do not eat shellfish as well as those who love to indulge themselves. There are an average of 25 mussels to the pound for farmed mussels and 20 to the pound for wild mussels. Whenever possible, use farmed mussels like ours for better flavor and to insure that you will not find any sand or grit.

4 pounds of steamed Penn Cove or Mediterranean Mussels

½ gallon of cider vinegar

2 ½ cups sugar (rule is 3 to 1 on the cider-sugar mix)

½ sliced red onion

½ cup chopped scallions

2 Tbsp. of diced pimentos

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Serving Size: Appetizers for 20 of five mussels each.

Storage: Store the live mussels in your refrigerator and cover with ice or a damp cloth to keep moist. They should not stand in water, so drain liquid from the container daily.

Preparation: Steam 4 pounds of debearded mussels following classic steamed mussel recipe. Remove mussels from broth and set in a large bowl in the refrigerator to cool, you may leave the mussels in the shells.

Prepare the marinade by mixing the sugar with the cider until dissolved. Stir in the red onions, scallions, pimentos, olive oil and garlic to the marinade.

Leave the mussels in their shell in the bowl and pour the marinade over the top only after mussels have cooled completely. Drain marinade from bowl and pour over mussels several times until all mussels are soaked. Cover bowl and keep cool until mussels are to be used.

Mussels should sit in marinade at least an hour before serving and may be kept in marinade up to a week. Pour marinade over mussels right before serving. Serve by themselves or add to a salad for a great treat.