Seafood Made Simple: Shellfish pleasures with these speedy, sweet mussels and clams

Mussel & Chorizo Rice, served up by Chef Aishling Moore. Picture: Chani Anderson

The conversation around eating seafood sustainably is a complex one. To me a food source which is truly sustainable is something that’s going to be available next year and for many years to come. We’ve reached a point now where irreversible damage has been caused to our oceans, reefs, forests, and atmosphere.

If you want to you make a conscious decision to eat seafood that’s going to have the least impact on the environment support regenerative aquaculture. A remedy to the destruction, the practice of farming molluscs like oysters, mussels and clams both rehabilitates and conserves our oceans whilst producing a viable and delicious food source. The process provides ecosystems for other marine life, improves water quality, and crucially sequesters carbon and nitrogen from the environment. An average mussel filters up to 15 gallons of water a day.

So, this weekend I’ve got two dishes championing regenerative aquaculture. Specifically, mussels, which are a great place to start if you’re new to cooking shellfish.

We produce some of the very best molluscs in the world here in Ireland - from peninsulas in Kerry to bays in West Cork and a fjord in Connemara these little umami gems are the most economical fresh seafood available.

Three years ago, the Goldie team and I travelled to Lisbon to enjoy the seafood, the vino verde, the bustling night life and the pastel de natas. The treatment of the shellfish we ate on that trip is the best I’ve encountered: unpretentious and extravagantly delicious with very few ingredients.

Inspired by that trip I’m sharing two one-pot wonders perfect for a summer’s evening. There’s a moreish mussel and chorizo rice dish that’ll cook in under thirty minutes and feed four quite generously. Here I’ve used Portuguese Carolino rice but any short grain rice like Bomba would work too. There’s also a simple steamed mussel and clam dish with coriander. Ready in a matter of minutes it features a deeply flavourful green broth that tastes of utter goodness.

Mussel & Chorizo Rice

recipe by:Aishling Moore

A moreish mussel and chorizo rice dish that’ll cook in under thirty minutes and feed four quite generously. Here I’ve used Portuguese Carolino rice but any short grain rice like Bomba would work too.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced Salt

• 90g chorizo, diced 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 320g Carolino rice

• 75ml white wine

• 1.2l fish stock or veg stock

• 1 kg mussels, cleaned

• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or a Dutch oven. Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil on a low heat for a couple of minutes until translucent. Season lightly with salt.

2. Add the diced chorizo and increase the heat slightly. Cook for two minutes.

3. Next add the smoked paprika and mix well with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the rice and stir to coat the in the chorizo fat and olive oil cook for one minute.

5. While that’s happening heat your stock in a separate pot, this will speed up the cooking process.

6. Turn up the rice pan to medium high and add the white wine to the rice . Cook until completely evaporated.

7. Pour in the warmed stock and bring to the boil.

8. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 12- 15 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the stock, stirring regularly to prevent any rice from catching.

9. If all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is still a little undercooked add a little more water. You’re looking for a moist risotto-like consistency here. If the rice is too dry there won’t be enough moisture to allow the mussels to steam.

10. Once you are happy that the rice is cooked remove the pot from the heat for a moment and pop your mussels in on top with the narrower point of the mussel sitting into the rice about halfway up the mussel. Disperse the mussels evenly across the rice.

11. Place a tight-fitting lid on top of the pot and return to the heat on medium low for four minutes.

12. Remove the lid and discard any mussels which haven’t opened.

13. Serve immediately with some lemon wedges.

Steamed Mussels & Clams with Coriander

recipe by:Aishling Moore

A simple steamed mussel and clam dish with coriander. Ready in a matter of minutes it features a deeply flavourful green broth that tastes of utter goodness.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 4 mins

Total Time

 24 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 8 garlic cloves, sliced

• 1 bay leaf

• 500g mussels, cleaned

• 500g clams, scrubbed

• 100ml dry white wine

• 100g coriander

• 1 lemon, juiced

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pot over a medium low heat. Add the garlic and bay leaf and gently sweat for a couple of minutes until fragrant and sweet.

2. Turn up the heat up to medium high and tip in the mussels and clams immediately followed by the dry white wine.

3. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, give the pot a gentle shake and cook undisrupted for 3 minutes.

4. Whilst that’s happening, chop your coriander. Finely slice the stalks and roughly chop the leaves. Leave a sprig or two to the side to garnish.

5. Remove the lid from the pot and allow to cook for 1 minute to burn off any of the raw alcohol left from the wine.

6. Add the chopped coriander and lemon juice and taste to season. There’s no need for any salt here as the clams and mussels are packed full of sea salt.

7. Serve immediately and don’t waste any of that glorious broth.

Shellfish know-how

Mussels and clams should only be cooked when alive so discard any that have cracked shells or do not close when tapped. They should smell fresh and of the seaside.

To clean mussels, fill a large bowl with water and add the mussels to the water. Using a small paring knife remove any barnacles from the shells and the beard of the mussel. The beard is what the mussel uses to attach itself to the surface of which it grows - you’ll find it halfway up the mussel. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking.

To clean clams place in colander under running water and scrub to remove any grit or sand on the surface. To purge (remove the sand from inside) of 500g, place the clams in a bowl covered with 500ml of cold water and 1 tbsp of sea salt and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse before serving.

I adore clams but they are typically twice the price of mussels so if you’re looking to shave a few euro off your shopping bill just double up on mussels.