By Christine Salins.
I’ve always thought that mussels are one of our most under-rated foods. Not only are they cheap and easy to cook, they are one of the most sustainable seafoods as they play an important part in keeping oceans healthy.
In winter, it’s tempting to ditch seafood in favour of hearty stews and red meat dishes.
Yet winter is when Australian mussels are at their sweetest, softest and juiciest, making them the perfect winter warmer.
Manager of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula Seafoods, Richard Longden, says the 2021 crop is one of the best yet with a bumper crop of larger than average mussels. Just like fruit and veg, aquaculture (including mussels) benefits hugely from high rainfall and sunlight hours.
The mussels are grown near tuna and kingfish farms where they can feed off a high concentration of sea-based nutrients. This has a huge impact on their flavour. Mussels are also one of the most sustainable seafood choices on the market – every day, one mussel filters up to 20 litres of seawater.
“Mussels are much sweeter this time of year, making them particularly appealing to mussel connoisseurs. In saying that, those who are new to seafood should see this new season harvest as a chance to try and experiment when they are at their freshest,” Longden said.
Fifth-generation fisherman Andrew Puglisi, director of Eyre Peninsula Seafoods, says mussels are the best winter warmer that money can buy.
“Mussels are the cheapest complete protein on the market at about $9 a kilo with benefits for hair, skin, immune and general wellbeing. They are jam-packed with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, B2, B12, phosphorus, iron, selenium and iodine to name a few.”
Gone are the days wasting time cleaning, scrubbing and debearding mussels. Nowadays they come ready to cook. Just pop them in the pot with your favourite broth, and voila! They are cooked within minutes.
The Thai-style recipe here is spicy, fragrant and full of flavour, with the added boost of sweet potato to soak up the tasty juices.
Thai Mussels with Sweet Potato
Serves 8
750g sweet potato
2 kg Kinkawooka Live Pot Ready Mussels
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 spring onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 red chilli, finely sliced
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
Handful of basil leaves
Handful of coriander sprigs
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp lime juice, plus 1 extra lime cut into wedges
Steamed rice to serve
Cut sweet potato into large bite sized chunks, cook in a pan of simmering salted water for 10 to 15 minutes until tender, then drain.
Heat oil, spring onions, garlic, chilli and 1 cup (250ml) of water in a heavy lidded pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Add mussels, cover and cook for about 4 minutes.
Add sweet potato, fish sauce, sugar and chilli sauce to mussels and stir through. Add herbs and lime juice, toss well. Serve with lime wedges and steamed rice.
Recipe courtesy of Eyre Peninsula Seafoods.
