Baked Green Mussels

This was a fantastic treat after a grueling past week at work.  Thank God for days off!  

-      * 2 kilos of green mussels, boiled cooked,  detach one shell and making the other as its bed.  Discard the ones that remain closed which indicates dead mussels.  Set the detached mussels on a lined baking tray ready for filling

-       *One head garlic, chopped

-       *¼ cup butter

-      * ¼ kl bacon, finely chopped

-       *about ½ cup of thick cream

-       *¼ cup of melting cheese (mozzarella or quick melt)

-       *salt and pepper

-       *dried herbs

-       *parmesan cheese

Melt the butter and sauté the garlic in a small pan, stirring constantly as not to burn the garlic.  Let it cool. 

Once cooled, add in the rest of the ingredients (except the last one)  and scoop the creamed mixture unto each  mussel, covering it well.  Bake at 180 degrees C for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with lemon or orange wedges.  You may add in some chili flakes if you want it a bit smothering hot!  


Makes about 60 to 70 mussels.  Fantastic as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvres.

Seafood Noodles

 -2 teaspoons peanut oil

-250g firm white fish fillets, cubed

-300g medium green prawns, deveined, peeled, tails intact

-a handful of mussels, taken out of shell

-250g sliced squid

-250g rice noodles

-250g egg noodles

-1 large brown onion, halved, thinly sliced

-3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated

-2 garlic cloves, crushed

-200g shortcut rindless bacon, chopped

-1 large green capsicum, sliced

-1 large carrot, peeled, sliced

-1 celery stalk, trimmed, thinly sliced

-1 cup shredded cabbage

-1 tablespoon mild curry powder

-1 1/2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauc

-4 green onions, thinly sliced

      Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Cook mussels in 2 cups of water (do not discard the water), fish and prawns for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.

      Meanwhile, place rice noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Separate noodles with a fork. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

      Heat remaining oil in wok. Add brown onion, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add bacon, capsicum, carrot, celery and cabbage. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add curry powder. Stir to coat. Add about 1 cup of the water from the mussels and let it reach boiling point.

      Add the rice noodles, egg noodles (the egg noodles will absorb the remaining liquid), soy sauce and half the green onion to wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Return mussels, fish and prawns to wok. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Add in a tablespoon of corn flour if too liquidy.  Top with remaining green onion. Serve.

Keep warm this winter, folks!