No Marinara for These Mussels

The first time I had mussels, it was in a white wine sauce. It was so many years ago, I can't even remember which city it was - all I remember is the red brick interior and the chalkboards on the walls with the daily specials.

Today is a hectic day. I am expecting visitors soon and need to clean the apartment, my cell phone died on the weekend and needed to be replaced, plus work is demanding more & more of my time. So, when I passed by the fishmonger & saw mussels in the window, I knew that I could grab a loaf of bread on the way home & have a quick dinner.

At first, I thought of the classic Mussels in White Wine Sauce. However, I just had the most amazing Venus Clams in White Wine that I didn't want to tarnish the memory with lesser shellfish (I prefer clams to mussels any day). I made this instead:

Mussels in Spicy Coconut Milk
1.5 Kg Mussels, cleaned
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 stalks lemongrass, chopped
1 red chili, chopped
2 Tbsp ginger, minced
3 Kefir lime leaves
1 tsp sesame oil
300 ml coconut milk
3 Tbsp lime juice

Heat oil. Sautee garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili & kefir lime leaves. When softened, add mussels. Cover, allow to steam open, stirring occasionally. When all mussels are open, add coconut milk, sesame oil and lime juice. Serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice.

Slightly spicy, largely tasty; broth is perfect for a soup.