Recipe: Mussels with chilli and garlic

Ingredients

This recipe serves two as a light meal.

Three or four large handfuls of cleaned mussels – discarding any open ones that don’t move to close when you’re cleaning them.

Two cloves of garlic – crushed

One red onion – diced

One red chilli – roughly chopped including the seeds

A handful of fresh basil leaves – torn

A handful of coriander leaves – torn

Sesame oil

Fish sauce

Lemon wedges

Butter

Method

Heat a large deep pan or wok until smoking, add the washed mussels and cover with a lid. You don’t need to add any liquid because the water they were washed in still clinging to them will steam and open them, releasing more even liquid. Steam them until they’re open - shaking the pan a few times – about four or five minutes.

Remove the mussels to a plate, discarding any that haven’t opened, and tip out and reserve the liquid. Pour in a tablespoon of sesame oil and, over a medium heat, sauté the onion, chilli and garlic until softened but don’t allow to brown. Return the mussels and their reserved liquid to the pan and stir. Finish the dish by seasoning with a few shakes of fish sauce, stirring and tasting to judge how much you need, and then add the basil, coriander and a walnut-sized knob of butter. Stir and pour into warmed bowls. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh crusty bread.