by lastnightsdinner
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by Sarah Shatz
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by lastnightsdinner
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by Sarah Shatz
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by lastnightsdinner
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1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon
unsalted butter
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1.5 cups
leek, sliced into thin half-moons, white and pale green parts only
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1
small bulb fennel, cored and chopped or thinly sliced (about 1 cup), plus a few fronds for garnish
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Kosher or sea salt
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1-2 pinch
saffron threads
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1 tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves
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2
(or more, if you're solo) fat cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
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1/2 ounce
(1 tablespoon) Pernod or other anise liqueur
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4 ounces
(1/2 cup) white vermouth or dry white wine
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1 cup
crushed tomatoes with juice
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1 pound
mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
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Look over your mussels and discard any that have cracked or broken shells. They all should be tightly closed, but if any open mussels don't close when you squeeze them gently with your fingers, discard those as well.
Ask the hotline about this step!Melt the butter in the olive oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add the leek and fennel, season with a pinch or two of salt, and cook until softened.
Ask the hotline about this step!Clear a space in the bottom of the pot and add the saffron, crumbling it with your fingers as you do, and lightly toast it before stirring it through the vegetables. Add the garlic and thyme, stir, and cook just until you can smell the garlic.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add the Pernod and vermouth or white wine, stir, and let cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add the mussels, stir, re-cover the pot, and cook for another 5-8 minutes or so, just until the mussels open (the timing will vary depending on the size of your mussels). Discard any mussels that don’t open.
Ask the hotline about this step!Stir the cream in off the heat, taste for seasoning, then spoon the mussels, vegetables, and sauce into a big, wide bowl – two, if you’re sharing. Sprinkle the fennel fronds on top, and serve with plenty of crusty bread.
Ask the hotline about this step!I made this and savored it all by myself with a large glass of pinot grigio... let me tell you.......WOW! The flavors were just meant to be, the fennel, the tomato, the cream, the saffron, and the crusty bread (a must!) plus I had no Pernod but my Ouzo did the trick just fine. In a word this dish is ~~~SEXY~~~. Thanks lastnightsdinner for a fine meal.
I have made this three times now, and neither I nor my guests can get enough of it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Another fantastic meal from food 52! Thanks to all who post wonderful recipes and to you LND, always yummy!
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
At the market today, I couldn't pass up buying some mussels for the first time, after reading this recipe. Unfortunately, I didn't remember all the ingredients, so I'm here at home, sort of improvising without the leeks, fennel, or Pernod. I hope that doesn't completely ruin it! I've used regular onions, celery, and some actual anise seed. Next time, I'll be ready!
I made this dish for my best friend and wife last night. When we ran out of Sulivan Street Bakery bread to sop up the creamy goodness, a chorus of slurping ensued. The sign of a fundamentally great dish: it has been lingering on the mind all morning...
Well done, lastnightsdinner.
Wow, thanks - so glad you enjoyed it! And I do miss Sullivan Street Bakery bread... yum!
Made this tonight - tried to share, but ended up enjoying most of it myself. Excellent!
Thank you!
Made these today. Simple recipe, delicious results! The sauce is so tasty - even without the cream. Definitely a keeper, this one.
Whoo hoo! I am so glad you liked them!
This makes it a hat-trick, yes? Well done, and congratulations!
It does, and thank you! And ironic that I win a "home alone" challenge just as my husband is ready to embark on a new career path, making our schedules totally opposite! Great for him, and I'm so proud but I'm looking at many solo dinners in my future!
Thank you!
Congratulations! But I hope to overcome your formidable talents in the offal people challenge.
Thank you! If ever there was a challenge tailor made for a pierino win, it's the nose-to-tail one ;D
Congratulations!
Thank you so much!
Thank you!
With the exception of the saffron this is very similar to the one I make all the time...one of my favorites! Maybe I will try adding the saffron next time.
I never really cared for mussels much until I tried them in France while living there for a few years, now I can't get enough of them. This dish has all the classic flavors that I enjoyed with them there, I can't wait to try it!
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!
My husband came home yesterday with 5 pounds of mussels so I called the neighbors (great friends) and we had a feast! Quadrupling all the ingredients just didn't feel right, especially the Pernod which can be overpowering, so I made a stock from the fennel and leek trimmings and used that with some vermouth and 2 TB Pernod to create a little more broth to share.Fennel vegie love! Used all the butter, though, and half the olive oil. Truly delicious recipe! Thanks bunches.
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
What a luscious dinner I had last night! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
You're welcome! I'm so glad you liked it!
Mussels are great home alone food-- my husband hates them for some reason.
That just means you don't have to share, right ;D
Thanks, Kelsey and arielleclementine!
And do I spy an "old English D" on that wine glass in the background? :D
Yes another great recipe form lastnightsdinnr! Mussels are a great idea for a one person meal, I love the addition of saffron, too.
beautiful recipe :)
Whoa, thanks, everyone!
Beautiful recipe. Great flavors and techniques. As a side note: Tony Bourdain ate at the Cadieux Cafe when he visited Detroit for No Reservations. And I live nearby!
Jen was extremely excited to see Cadieux on No Res. The place looks supremely cool.
Maria, I've never had the chance to take Mike to Cadieux when we've been visiting, but next time we're in town, we'll have to make a date with you for mussels and feather bowling :D
We'd love that! Funny thing is, I've never been there. I'm probably the only person in town...
Love mussels but have never made them at home. Thanks for another fantastic recipe LND!
This looks so yum! mussels are a great one pot meal for one--and my favorite thing to eat!
I make a big pot of bouillabaise every Christmas Eve and it's very similar to this recipe with homemade bread and a big salad. I love it!
Thanks! My husband and I love bouillabaisse, but even when we try to scale it down, we always end up with far too much for two! So this is a nice way to get those flavors in a solo dinner.
Thank you! The aromatics do make it very... aromatic :D
my boyfriend is lactose intolerant, and not a huge fan of mussels (plus has recently requested that maybe we not have saffron in nearly every dish). this is most definitely going to be my meal-for-one when he's out of town next week..
Let me know how you like it!
my friend proposed having a girls' night in around her fireplace, so i made the veg prep up to the point of mussels, wrapped up my half loaf of crusty bread, filled a jar with a bit of milk (we didn't have cream), picked up a meshy bag of mussels en route, and arrived at her house. only to find that the mussels were bad! really bad! like all dead and open! ah well. i left the jar of sauteed deliciousness at her house for her to try again tomorrow, which come to think of it would be a pretty awesome present for anyone. i didn't have pernod, and threw in a bit of orange zest instead, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty much exactly. smelled heavenly.
This is the way to treat yourself to a solo meal. Looks delicious!
Thanks! And we are lucky to have a wonderful shellfish purveyor at our local farmers' market :)
This sounds like mussels bouillabaise - with the saffron, fennel and Pernod - I can taste it already - delicious! It looks so pretty, too. This would be just as nice for company as it is for eating alone. :-)
Thanks! It's definitely inspired by bouillabaisse - those are some of my favorite flavors, particularly in combination :)
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Merrill cutting the leeks where the green leaves begin branching out.
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She sliced them before washing them, which is our method -- guarantees less grit.
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Amanda flattening the garlic with her handy meat pounder before chopping it.
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Ah, butter, how we love you.
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The fennel all neatly sliced and ready for its appearance.
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Saffron (shrouded by the softening fennel) toasting in a little well Merrill created with her spoon.
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In goes a whole bunch of thyme -- great touch lastnightsdinner!
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Vermouth about to go in the pan.
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Now the tomatoes.
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The mussels are added to the fennel and tomato stew and cooked just until they open -- mere minutes!
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Then a little cream -- not too much! -- to pull everything together.
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Made this for supper tonight--was great!! My hubby and I really enjoyed.
Thanks!