Mussels South of Two Borders

From EatingWell: July/August 2009, July/August 2008, January/February 2008 — Subscribe Now!

Prince Edward Island may account for a healthy share of the world's mussel production, but this recipe takes those mollusks farther south for a Latin American preparation that combines chorizo, chiles and beer.

2 servings

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1/3 cup diced Spanish chorizo, (see Shopping Tip)
1 medium onion, diced
1 small plum tomato, diced
2 tablespoons chopped canned green chiles, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup beer, preferably dark Mexican beer, such as Negra Modelo
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded if necessary (see Tip)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Cook chorizo in a large saucepan over medium heat until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, chiles, cumin and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato begins to break down, about 3 minutes. Pour in beer, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.
Stir in mussels and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook just until the mussels have opened, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat (discard any unopened mussels); stir in cilantro. Serve with the sauce.

Tips & Notes

Shopping Tip: For this recipe we use fully cooked Spanish-style chorizo—spicy pork sausage seasoned with smoked paprika and chile—recognizable for its characteristic red color. Find it near other cured sausages in well-stocked supermarkets, specialty-food stores or online at tienda.com.
Tip: To clean mussels, scrub with a stiff brush under cold running water. Scrape off any barnacles using the shell of another mussel. Pull off the fuzzy “beard” from each one (some mussels may not have a beard).

Nutrition

Per serving: 285 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 48 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 3 g fiber; 510 mg sodium; 407 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (40% daily value), Iron (35% dv), Folate (17% dv), Vitamin A & Zinc (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 2 lean meat