Cashel House: Warm Cashel mussels with garlic, tomato and chilli
Mussels are one of the most abundant of all Irish shellfish and have been eaten here since ancient times. There are dishes devoted to them, and festivals dedicated to them. They’re even immortalised in the famous Dublin song, Molly Malone… As Molly wheels her wheelbarrow crying: cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh!
Ingredients
6.5 lb/3kg mussels
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tin of plum tomatoes (14oz/400g)
½ pint/300ml lager
2 scallions (spring onions), cut into strips
Olive oil
Method
Wash the mussels in cold water, scrub well and remove the beards. Use only mussels that are tightly closed, discarding any that are open. In a large pan, heat some olive oil and sauté the garlic to soften without browning.
Add the mussels and cook for five minutes (or just until the shells are opening). Add the chopped chilli and tomatoes. Cook for a further three minutes to heat through, then finally add the lager and cook for a further two minutes or until the broth reaches boiling point.
Serve in large bowls topped with sliced scallions and accompany with homemade brown soda bread.
Source: Ireland.com
