Mussels in Green Sauce.

musselsseafoodgreen-sauceherbsasparaguspotatoes

SERVES

TOTAL

120m

ACTIVE

75m

LVL

HARD

./images/mussels-green-sauce/POSTER.SVG DUTCH

// SUMMARY

Mussels on the half shell with new potatoes, a diced asparagus salad, sour cream and pickled mustard seed, all pulled together by a frothed green sauce built on a blanched spinach-and-herb base. The trick is the base: spinach, tarragon, parsley and mint blanched, shocked, then **frozen** for half an hour before blending, which is what keeps it emerald instead of khaki.

// INGREDIENTS

SRV :: 2

400	g	spinach
20	g	fresh tarragon
20	g	fresh flat-leaf parsley
10	g	fresh mint leaves
300	ml	chicken stock
2	tbsp	salted butter
2		shallots, finely chopped
2		garlic cloves, minced
30	g	celery stalks, finely chopped
50	ml	white wine
250	ml	mussel cooking liquid
3	tbsp	heavy cream
1	tbsp	lemon juice
— Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500	g	mussels
8		small new potatoes, unpeeled
2		sprigs thyme
1		sprig rosemary
200	ml	mussel cooking liquid
2	tbsp	unsalted butter
2		green asparagus spears
1	tsp	red wine vinegar
1	tbsp	olive oil
8	tbsp	sour cream, seasoned with salt and pepper
4	tsp	pickled mustard seed
— A few sprigs of tangy herbs — purple, field or silver sorrel, or verbena, dill or basil
— Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

// METHOD

01
Cook the mussels by the classic method and let them **cool slightly in their cooking liquid**. Remove the top shells.
02
Cook the new potatoes with the thyme, rosemary and a pinch of salt until done — **about 10 minutes**.
03
Drain, and **rub the skins off while still warm**. They come away easily hot and fight you cold.
04
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and stir in 1 tbsp of the butter.
05
Cook the asparagus for **1 minute**, a little longer if the spears are thick.
06
**Straight into ice water** to stop the cooking.
07
Cut the spears into tiny cubes and marinate in the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
08
Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the spinach and the herbs together for **1 minute**.
09
**Straight into ice water** again.
10
To stop them discolouring, **freeze the spinach and herbs for 20–30 minutes**. This step is what keeps the sauce green.
11
Blend the frozen spinach and herbs with the chicken stock into a creamy purée.
12
Melt 1 tbsp of the salted butter in a saucepan over low heat and gently sweat the shallot, garlic and celery for **1 minute**.
13
Deglaze with the white wine and let the alcohol cook off.
14
Add 200 ml of the mussel cooking liquid, turn the heat up and **reduce by half**.
15
Add the cream and let the sauce cook gently. Lower to medium.
16
Add **70 g of the green spinach-herb base** and the remaining butter, and blend everything with a stick blender.
17
Pass through a sieve into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and brighten with the lemon juice. Froth it again with the stick blender if it needs lifting.
18
Heat the remaining mussel cooking liquid, add the peeled new potatoes and 1 tbsp butter.
19
Once they are properly hot, add the cooked mussels on the half shell and **take the pan off the heat**.
20
Spread the asparagus salad on a warm serving dish and add the potatoes and mussels.
21
Finish with a little green sauce, the sour cream and the pickled mustard seed.
22
Garnish with the tangy herbs.

// NOTES

— Freezing the blanched greens is not optional if you want the colour. Blanch, shock, freeze 20–30 minutes, then blend from frozen.
— You will have green base left over — the recipe makes far more than the 70 g the sauce needs. It freezes well and is excellent stirred into risotto, soup or pasta.
— Cooking-liquid amounts: the printed ingredient list gives 250 ml for the green sauce, but the method adds 200 ml. Either works — 200 ml gives a tighter sauce. The separate 200 ml in the last section is for heating the potatoes and mussels.
— Pickled mustard seed comes from elsewhere in the book. Shop-bought pickled mustard seeds or a coarse grainy mustard both stand in; the point is little popping acidic beads.
— Sorrel is the ideal garnish for the sourness. Dill or basil are the book's own fallbacks.
— Order of work: base and sauce can be made ahead, potatoes and asparagus an hour before, mussels last. Only the final assembly is time-critical.
— Don't boil the mussels in the sauce — they are already cooked. They only need to warm through, off the heat.

// VARIATIONS

→ Without asparagus: blanched peas or broad beans, dressed the same way, do the same job out of season.
→ Lighter: skip the cream entirely and finish the sauce with a little more butter and lemon.
→ As a starter: halve everything and serve in shallow bowls; the plating suits small portions.

// SOURCE

Sergio Herman — Mussels, p. 72

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