Many households are finding seafood is off the menu as the price rises for many of the species of fish we have been accustomed to buying. But we don’t need crayfish, fresh snapper, John Dory and other luxuries as there are some delicious fishy bargains in the supermarket. Be bold and choose a ‘new’ fish for as long as it still glistening, the gentle frying may surprise you.
Never overcook any seafood, as it dries out quickly to become chewy. There is nothing wrong with buying frozen fish for it’s a fish that has been caught commercially, miles out to sea, it was probably frozen on the boat and, when thawed, will be just as good as the fresh fish sitting in that display counter. Right now, one of the most economic seafood meals is a feed of mussels.
I buy mussels by the kilo, straight from the ‘wet’ display case in the local supermarket. Mussels are incredibly versatile and usually come in under $6 per kg. I have at least four ways I cook them at home, although a mussel in crispy batter at the fish and chip shop is still tempting.
A traditional bowl of mussels, carefully steamed in their own juices, is delicious, as long as you do not steam them any longer than it takes them to just open. Wash the mussels, pop them into a heavy saucepan with no more than a tablespoon of water and cover them with the lid. Within two minutes, they will start to open and their juices sink to the bottom of the pan.
Take them off the heat immediately, and stir through whatever extra flavouring you want. I like Thai spices and coconut cream, or lemon juice and chopped garlic, parsley and onions. You can serve these mussels in bowls, with crusty bread to soak up all the delicious liquid from the pan poured over them.
Alternately, when you remove the mussels from the heat, tip the juices into a bowl. Working very quickly, remove the mussels from their shells (kitchen tongs are good for this) and put them into the bowl of juice. Discard the shells and allow the mussels to cool in the juice where they will remain beautifully tender and plump.
If they’re overcooked or dried out they become tough and almost tasteless. Once cool, I like to remove the little dark foot inside the mussel as it is chewy and tough. Mussels like this can them be marinated and served with drinks.
My favourite combination of dressing or marinade is chopped spring onion, coriander, juice of half a lemon and coconut cream. They’re also great in olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and freshly ground black pepper. Best of all is to follow the procedure here to remove the just cooked mussels from their shells and make these best-ever mussel fritters.
1kg mussels in the shell 1 small red onion 2 tbsp olive oil 4 tbsp chopped parsley 3 eggs 3 tbsp plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 lemon grated rind only 3 tbsp milk Salt and freshly ground pepper Olive oil (or grapeseed oil) and a knob of butter for frying. First steam the mussels lightly and remove from the heat. Tip the juices into a bowl and working quickly with kitchen tongs take the mussels from their shell and plunge immediately into the mussel juices.
Allow to cool. Chop the red onion very finely and cook gently in the 2 tbsp oil in a little frying pan until soft without browning. Add the chopped parsley and let this cool.
If you can be bothered, remove the foot from each mussel – it’s tough – and discard. Chop the mussels very finely – I do this in my food processor. Whisk the eggs together with the flour and baking powder to make a smooth batter.
Stir in the onion, parsley, lemon rind, and salt and pepper together with the mussel meat. If the mixture is too stiff add the milk to make it lighter. Heat a little oil and butter together in a heavy frying pan and over gentle heat drop a good tablespoon of the mussel batter into the pan to form fritters.
You should do this in batches of 4 to 5 at a time. Cook slowly and turn over when golden underneath (about 3-4 minutes) and cook a further 2 minutes. Place on paper towels and keep the fritters warm while you cook them until all the mixture is used.
Serve with wedges of lemon or a lemon mayonnaise. Makes about 14 -16 fritters..
