Mussels Steamed in Coconut Milk with Lime and Coriander

I absolutely love a big bowl of these steaming mussels; good for a starter, or a main course served with some roast garlic bread.

Serves 10 for a starter, or 6 for a main course.

Ingredients

  • 1 lge onion, chopped
  • 5-10 cloves of garlic, (Iuse 10!), crushed
  • 2 red or green chillies, seeded and chopped
  • 1 tin of coconut milk,
  • 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp chopped coriander
  • 80 mussels, scrubbed

 Method

  1. Put everything but the mussels into a saucepan large enough to hold the mussels.
  2. Bring up to the boil and cook for about 8 mins, or until the onions are cooked.  Meanwhile check that all the mussels are tightly closed; if one is open tap it and if it closes it’s good so keep it ,but if any stay open then throw those ones out as that means they are dead ,and you don’t know how fresh they are.
  3. When the onions are cooked in the saucepan throw in all the good mussels, put the lid on and cook until the mussels are wide open, serve! 
  4. Serve the mussels in their shells with the coconut broth, divine!! Great with garlic bread.  For a main course you could serve rice as an accompaniment too.  Don’t forget to have finger bowls and a spare bowl for discarded shells.

NOTE This sauce, without the mussels, keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.  So if you want you could take out the sauce as you need it(1 ladelful per person),put it into a saucepan and add how ever many mussels you like(about 8 for a starter and 12-15 for a main course),put on the heat and  cook.