# Harry's Mussels & Chorizo with Peppers



## Harry Cobean (Aug 25, 2012)

ok fellow gastronauts,this one is heavy on flavour,light on ingredients,quick & very easy to cook.i made it the day after i had cooked a paella,out of left over ingredients.made it up as i went along!!i know not everyone likes/can easily get hold of fresh mussels so why not make it with sliced skinless/boneless chicken thighs instead & add a bit of  chicken stock & salt to replace the mussel liquid?what is nicer than chicken,chorizo,peppers & garlic etc?your food,you choose!
HARRY'S TIP
i keep mussels in the fridge in a bowl of bottled water with sea salt & instant mashed potato powder dissolved in the water.the mussels feed on the instant mash & it bulks them up overnight
THE INGREDIENTS
a)fresh mussels cleaned & checked...you know what to do
b)fresh red pepper deseeded & sliced.i like the pointy ones...sweeter than bell imo but bell peppers are fine
c)cherry toms halved or quartered..i got some mini marzano toms but any will do as long as they are sweet
d)chorizo with casing removed & sliced.i used uncooked cooking chorizo but regular ready to eat is fine.i like to remove the casing but that's up to you
e)garlic to taste peeled & sliced
f)chilli to taste sliced or dried flakes or cayenne.i used a scotch bonnet...hoots mon the noo...smokin'!
g)evoo...couple of glugs
h)lots of ground black pepper
THE METHOD
1)put the chorizo slices in a cold pan with a little bit of evoo
2)turn on the heat until the chorizo starts to sizzle then maintain the heat.the idea is to draw the oil/paprika from the chorizo & colour slightly.
3)add the rest of the oil,pepper slices,tomatoes,garlic,chilli & black pepper
4)whack up the heat,stir until the peppers/toms start to soften & release their juices
5)chuck in the mussels,stir & put the lid on
6)cook & shake the pan until the mussels have opened & released their delicious salty juices(i say,steady on there vicar!)
7)ENJOY!!
personally i think all you need with this is good bread to mop up the juices....and ice cold beer or wine of choice of course!
HARRY'S TIP No 2
add some cream,creme fraiche or yogurt after the mussels have opened & cook for a minute or two longer with the lid off....oh my oh my oh my!!


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## salt and pepper (Aug 25, 2012)

Nice job Harry, looks great.


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## Rocklobster (Aug 25, 2012)

Great dish!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 25, 2012)

salt and pepper said:


> Nice job Harry, looks great.


thanks s & p....that's a good looking fish you've got there mate,salmon or trout?


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 25, 2012)

Rocklobster said:


> Great dish!


cheers rock.... your new avatars' cool matey.....trés rock 'n roll!


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## Rocklobster (Aug 25, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> cheers rock.... your new avatars' cool matey.....trés rock 'n roll!


Thanks, Harry. That's my hangover head...


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 25, 2012)

Looks delish!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 25, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> cheers rock.... your new avatars' cool matey.....trés rock 'n roll!



I agree, nice new avatar Rock


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 26, 2012)

Rocklobster said:


> Thanks, Harry. That's my hangover head...


thought those eyes looked a bit like "rissoles in the snow" mate.bit of a david beckham look going on with moustache/goatee combo too....whatever it is it sure looks like you had a great night before!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 26, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> Looks delish!


cheers matey! you should give it a go with all that fab seafood you've got down under....that sounds wrong...i mean in australia of course!!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 26, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> cheers matey! you should give it a go with all that fab seafood you've got down under....that sounds wrong...i mean in australia of course!!



ROFL...now that cracked me up


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 26, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> ROFL...now that cracked me up


hee hee!!


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## taxlady (Aug 26, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> ...
> a)fresh mussels cleaned & checked...you know what to do
> ...


Nope, not a clue. What do I do with fresh mussels and how much do I need per person?


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## Dawgluver (Aug 26, 2012)

taxlady said:
			
		

> Nope, not a clue. What do I do with fresh mussels and how much do I need per person?



I think he means debearding them and making sure they're shut, not open and dead.

It sounds lovely, Harry!  Will have to give it a go with chicken, no source of fresh mussels here


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## taxlady (Aug 26, 2012)

Dawgluver said:


> I think he means debearding them and making sure they're shut, not open and dead.


Yeah, I think so, but I have never cooked mussels. I think you have to scrub them too. I need all the details of what to do when I get them home.


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 27, 2012)

Yes, always best to make sure they are debearded, not a nice thing to see on cooked mussels


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 27, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> Yes, always best to make sure they are debearded, not a nice thing to see on cooked mussels


not a nice thing to see on anything cobber!! especially a lady!!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 27, 2012)

Anyone you know?


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 27, 2012)

taxlady said:


> Yeah, I think so, but I have never cooked mussels. I think you have to scrub them too. I need all the details of what to do when I get them home.





Dawgluver said:


> I think he means debearding them and making sure they're shut, not open and dead.
> 
> It sounds lovely, Harry!  Will have to give it a go with chicken, no source of fresh mussels here





taxlady said:


> Nope, not a clue. What do I do with fresh mussels and how much do I need per person?


okey dokey chaps!
firstly dawg,sorry you can't get fresh mussels.you could try it with frozen mussel meats or one of those vac pacs of cooked mussels in their shells.costco & all the supermarkets here sell them as they have a long fridge life & aren't bad at all...usually packed in a white wine or garlic/cream sauce.if using just the meats then check for seasoning at the end
the finely sliced skinless chicken thighs work beautifully particularly if you use the added cream at the end of cooking version.
tax,this is harry's 1,2,3(well,maybe more!) for mussels
1)1kilo/2lbs of fresh mussels in their shells is enough,on their own with say bread,for one hungry person or 2 not so hungry peeps
2)i used about 750grms(just under 2lbs)in this recipe for one person.but to be honest,i don't weigh them,just judge by sight
3)i try to buy mine the day before i use them.when i get them home i dissolve some sea salt in bottled water or cold water from the kettle that has been boiled a couple of times(tap water over here is full of water treatment chemicals & flouride etc)until it tastes like sea water then dissolve a teaspoon or two of instant mashed potato powder in the water.discard any that don't close when tapped hard or have broken shell's,they're dead.
4)put the mussels in a bowl,cover with the water/mash mix & leave in the fridge overnight.the mussels feed on the mash & it bulks them up a treat
5)drain the mussels,rinse then scrub & debeard.to be honest all the mussels i buy are farmed in scotland & have been pretty thoroughly scrubbed at the farm so are very clean with few beards
6)again,discard any that remain open & don't close when tapped hard.
7)at this point i very often just chuck them in a smokin' hot pan naked...no wine,no garlic,no cream...just the water clinging to their shells.lid on & shake the pan like when you make popcorn.the liquid from the mussels makes it's own sauce......absolutely the most delicious way to cook mussels imo.discard any that don't open when cooked.they were dead before cooking
8)over here mussels are about the cheapest fish/seafood you can buy...£3 per kilo(less than £1.50/lb) & they have been described as the perfect food....almost pure protein,low fat,full of vits/minerals & bloody tasty as well!!


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 27, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> Anyone you know?


nope,but it was a full moon...............


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## taxlady (Aug 27, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> ...
> 8)over here mussels are about the cheapest fish/seafood you can buy...£3 per kilo(less than £1.50/lb) & they have been described as the perfect food....almost pure protein,low fat,full of vits/minerals & bloody tasty as well!!


Thanks Harry. Wow, that sounds like a real bargain. That works out to ~CAD4.70/kg! I was looking at a bag of mussels last week and I think that $3.99 bag couldn't have weighed more than half a kilo, if that.


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 27, 2012)

taxlady said:


> Thanks Harry. Wow, that sounds like a real bargain. That works out to ~CAD4.70/kg! I was looking at a bag of mussels last week and I think that $3.99 bag couldn't have weighed more than half a kilo, if that.


no probs tax.the great thing about our farmed mussels is that it's a massive industry here & the bulk of the crop is exported to mainland europe,spain & italy etc.i guess they make their money out of the exports so they can hold down their domestic prices...but,who cares,mussels are fab!!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 27, 2012)

Harry Cobean said:


> nope,but it was a full moon...............


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 28, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


>


she used to be a werewolf but she's cured nowwwwwooooooohhhh!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 29, 2012)

Have you ever had the smoked mussels in tins...like John West for example?


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## Harry Cobean (Aug 29, 2012)

Kylie1969 said:


> Have you ever had the smoked mussels in tins...like John West for example?


have i cobber? i always have a tin in the cupboard(photo on guilty pleasures thread).fab on toast!i'm going to make dauphinoise with them next time instead of the mackerel...deeeelish aren't they!!


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## Kylie1969 (Aug 29, 2012)

Yes, I really like them 

That is a good idea, whack them on some toast


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