Recipe By Lynfred Brand Ambassador, Laura Lorenz
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
½ large yellow (or sweet) onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped (about a 2in piece of ginger)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (can substitute with a yellow or orange bell pepper)
2 ½ tbsp red Thai chili paste
1 ½ cup chicken broth
1 can full-fat coconut milk (13-14 oz, unsweetened)
1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1 ½ lbs-2 lbs. blue mussels*
2 Fresno chilies, sliced*
3-4 Thai chilies, whole (optional)
Garnish- lime wedges, cilantro, Thai basil
Serve with grilled bread
Directions
In a large pan over medium heat add the olive oil, bell pepper, onion, and chilies. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the bell pepper and onion soften. Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes (be careful not to let the garlic burn). Then add the chili paste and stir very well to wake the paste up. Add the broth and the coconut milk, stir well, and bring to a simmer. Then add the tomato and the mussels (see note*), cover, and cook for 6 minutes or until the mussels open. Turn the heat off and garnish with fresh lime wedges, cilantro, and Thai basil. I love to serve my mussels with a big bowl of grilled bread to soak up the delicious broth!
Tips
* My favorite mussels come pre-cooked and frozen. I cook mine from a frozen state. If you are using raw or thawing yours ahead of time, cooking time will vary.
* I love a mix of chilies in this dish, so I used both Thai and Fresno. If you don’t like as much heat, omit the Thai, or seed the Fresno. I leave my Thai chilies whole, so it is optional to eat them; this helps control the heat level in the dish also. Serrano may be substituted for the Fresno, but the dish will be spicier!
* As a main course this serves 2 people. As an appetizer, this feeds 4 people.