Mussels


 
JimK

JimK

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Just watche Raichlen cook mussels on a 26'r. Just plain old mussels - no seasoning at all. Put them in a foil pan on top of a bed of dry pine needles. He had previously put holes in the bottom of the pan. He then lit the pine needles on fire and covered with another foil pan. 5-8 minutes later, voila! Smoked mussels.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK:
Just watche Raichlen cook mussels on a 26'r. Just plain old mussels - no seasoning at all. Put them in a foil pan on top of a bed of dry pine needles. He had previously put holes in the bottom of the pan. He then lit the pine needles on fire and covered with another foil pan. 5-8 minutes later, voila! Smoked mussels. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Something sounds wrong here...............
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:

Something sounds wrong here............... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

icon_confused.gif
 
It certainly sounds intriguing, and a 2 lb bag of mussels isn't too costly to play with.

Did he give any specifics on the type of needles? Pine is often incorrectly used a synonym for conifer, which covers a lot of different species. I know some Scandinavian countries smoke over cedar and other conifers, so it should be workable.

The problem I have (in my head) is that it doesn't make much sense to smoke bivalves, since you don't eat the shell. The mussel opens a bit at the end of the cook, which is 5-8 min, so we are talking 1-2 of smoke coming through a slit.

I know mussels are commonly smoked, but I never thought that it would be so simple.
 
"Did he give any specifics on the type of needles?"

Not that I recall. I have the episode on my dvr so i'll go back and check.

I found this at Saveur:

(Terrée de Moules)

Pine needles impart a delicious, smoky tang to the mussels in a classic terrée de moules, or mussel bake, which is traditionally done on the beach. The same results (and spectacle) can be achieved by means of a standard kettle grill. If you have access to dried, pesticide-free longleaf pine needles (from a species like aleppo or umbrella), you can collect your own (make sure they're completely brown). Place 1 1?2 lbs. scrubbed and bearded mussels, rounded side up, about 1"–2" apart, between the slats of the grill grate. Pile lightly packed dried pine needles atop mussels to a height of about 12". Light needles with a match; stand back. Allow needles to burn to ash, about 4–5 minutes. Dust away excess ash. Eat the mussels straight from the grill. (Discard any that are unopened.) Serves 4.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #103
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top