This elegant, yet quick and easy dinner uses two of my favorite powerhouse ingredients: mussels and curry paste. Something about mussels feels so fancy to me, despite how quickly they cook. Curry paste — a Malaysian red variety in this case — is packed with flavor, which means you don't need many other ingredients to bring this dish together.
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🦪 Ingredients
I've always been able to find 2lb bags of Blue mussels at my local grocery store. They're usually already cleaned and debearded. I recommend finding these fresh mussels for this dish, rather than buying frozen.
For a recipe that uses frozen green-lipped mussels, try my Vietnamese Grilled Scallion Oil Mussels (Chem Chép Nướng Mỡ Hành)
My favorite brand of Malaysian red curry is Grumpy Ginger. You can buy it online or use their store locator to see if they're stocked near you. I like Malaysian red curry for this dish because it's a bit creamier and sweeter than a Thai red curry. You could substitute Thai red curry if it's easier to find, though the flavor profile will be different.
You will need:
- oil
- shallots
- garlic
- Malaysian red curry paste
- coconut milk
- fish sauce
- Malaysian red curry paste
- cilantro (for garnish)
- green onion (for garnish)
- fried shallot (for garnish)
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Rinse and comb through your fresh mussels. Throw away any that are broken or already open. Debeard them if they don't come debearded.
Step 2: Add oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. Cook the sliced shallot and garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the Malaysian red curry paste and cook until the paste has lent its color to the oil and everything smells fragrant about 1 minute.
Step 4: Add the coconut milk and mix well. Bring to a simmer. Season fish sauce if it needs more salt.
Step 5: Add the mussels in an even layer.
Step 6: Cover and steam the mussels until they have all opened up, about 5-7 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, green onions and fried shallots. Serve with white rice or bread.
Hint: Buy mussels the day you plan to cook them. Discard cracked ones. Fresh mussels should be tightly closed. If a mussel is open, lightly tap it against the sink. A live mussel should close its shell if you do this. Discard mussels that remain open, as they are dead.
💭 Substitutions
This cooking method will work with any curry paste you like. I find that Malaysian red curry works well with the sweet, mild flavor of the mussels. For other curry pastes, use one tablespoon at a time and taste as you go for salt and spice levels.
You can also clams instead of mussels. They'll take about twice as long to cook.
🍳 Equipment
Use a heavy-bottomed pot or pan with a well-fitting lid in order to properly steam the mussels. Avoid non-stick surfaces, as mussel shells can scratch them.
👪 Serving size suggestions and storage
I recommend eating these the day they're cooked. This recipe makes enough for 2-3 people. If you have leftovers, I'd recommend removing them all from their shells and reheating them in the microwave at 30-second intervals, being careful not to overheat them.
✏️ Top Tip
Don't take the lid off your pot too soon! That will release all the steam that's cooking the mussels. You can the pot once or twice while they're cooking to distribute them evenly. After five minutes, check to see if most of them have opened. If not, you can cover the pot again and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened by now.
Malaysian Red Curry Mussels (Chem Chép Sốt Cà Ri Đỏ Malaysia)
Equipment
- heavy-bottomed pot or pan don't use nonstick
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mussels
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- shallot sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon Malaysian red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- 1 stalk green onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fried shallot
Instructions
- Rinse and comb through your mussels. Discard any with cracked shells. Tap open mussels lightly against your sink. Discard them if they don't reclose.
- Add oil to a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat. Cook the sliced shallot and garlic until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the Malaysian red curry paste and cook until the paste has lent its color to the oil and everything smells fragrant about 1 minute.
- Add the coconut milk and mix well. Bring to a simmer. Taste and season with fish sauce if it needs more salt. Different brands of curry paste will l have different salt levels. I needed an extra teaspoon when I used the Grumpy Ginger brand.
- Add the mussels to the pot in an even layer.
- Cover the pot and steam the mussels until they have all opened up. Keep the lid on for the first five minutes, shaking 1 or 2 times to redistribute them if necessary. Check to see if nearly all of the mussels have opened up after 5 minutes. Cover and cook an additional 1-2 minutes if that's not the case. Any mussels that are still closed after this time should be discarded.
Nutrition
Note: Nutrition facts are estimated based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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