Ease of Preparation: Medium
Time of Preparation: 1 hour
Yield: 3-4 servings, as an appetizer
You’ve heard of mussels with fries, but have you heard of fried mussels? This appetizer turns the classic dish on its head by omitting the potatoes and just frying the juicy, tender mussels themselves! Pair with a sharp and tangy classic, celery root remoulade for a perfect start to any meal!
Ingredients:
Celeriac Remoulade:
- 1 whole celery root/celeriac
- 1 tart green apple
- 1 shallot
- 1 small bunch chives, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped parsley
- 8 gherkins, chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) capers, drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped cocktail onions
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) caraway seed, toasted and ground
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup (240 ml) prepared mayonnaise (or Aioli – see Moules-Frites recipe)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon mustard
Mussels:
- 2 pounds (1 kg) large green shell mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
- 2 quarts (2 L) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 ml) potato starch, plus extra for dredging
- 12 ounces (355 ml) club soda/soda water, cold
- 1 egg, beated
- Salt
Mussels:
- 2 pounds (1 kg) large green shell mussels, cleaned and de-bearded
- 2 quarts (2 L) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 ml) potato starch, plus extra for dredging
- 12 ounces (355 ml) club soda/soda water, cold
- 1 egg, beated
- Salt
- Pea shoots, to garnish
- Lemon wedges, to garnish
Method:
For the Celeriac Remoulade:
Peel and rinse the celeriac. Slice into long batons/matchsticks.
Slice the apple into matching batons, combine.
Slice and add the shallots.
Add the chives, lemon zest, garlic, and parsley.
Add the gherkins, capers, and cocktail onions.
Dress with mayonnaise, Dijon, and lemon juice.
Season with caraway, salt, and pepper.
Mix all, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
For the Mussels:
Steam the mussels with a splash of water for 4-5 minutes until almost all are opened.
Remove the meat and discard the shells. Pat the mussel meat dry with a paper towel and refrigerate if not using right away.
When ready to fry, heat the oil to 350 F (175 C) in a large wok, Dutch oven, or deep fryer.
Prepare a dredging bowl with potato starch.
In a bowl, combine the flour, potato starch, club soda, and egg, and whisk to combine. Keep very cold and use as quickly as possible. (consider sitting over a bowl of ice in a warm kitchen
Working in batches, fry the mussels:
- Add the mussel meat to the potato starch and toss to coat.
- Dust off excess flour and transfer to batter.
- Coat, then lift mussel and drain well, allowing excess batter to drip away; immediately transfer from cold batter to hot oil.
- Fry for 3-4 minutes, until crisp and golden.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Season with salt.
Serve with the Celeriac Remoulade, garnish with pea shoots and lemon wedges.