Pulling Mussels from a Shell, Frugal Foodie II

Squeeze, Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)  

Foraging appeals to me on a primordial level, the gathering of sustenance in the wild is an activity that I find deeply satisfying.  By nature I consider myself an urbanite but even I find something utterly magical about centering my meal around wild food.  I am fortunate to live in Santa Cruz, CA, a city nestled between the ocean and redwoods. Foraging is almost a year round activity! Mushroom season ends and mussel season begins.

The first step is getting a fishing license. In California the cost is $41.20 for anyone over 16 years of ago with the allowance of 10 pounds per person per day. Officially the season begins November 1 and ends April 30, but always look for postings by the Department of Fish and Game for updates. The next step is buying a bucket and trowel. License, bucket, and trowel is all anyone needs, no special skill set is required! There are many excellent mussel shoals within a 15 minute drive from my house. I prefer to go to the beach with the easiest access as I am often with my daughter. Being outside, in the fresh air, with the sound of the crashing waves, the smell of the ocean, watching my daughter play in the sand while I gather food for dinner… Heavenly!

The mussels on the California coast, Mytilus californicus, have an orange flesh, grow quite large, and can be very sandy. My daughter prefers the smaller ones, for obvious reasons, and will devour as many as I place before her! I recommend leaving them in cold water overnight in a cornmeal bath. This will help clean them a bit but you may have to do a little more prep work before serving. Always scrub the mussels clean, pull away as much of the beard as possible, and discard any mussels that do not open when cooked.

Mussels in a Pie

1. One package of store bought puff pastry.
2. Mussels
3. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic
4. Butter
5. Parsley
6. Flour
7. Salt

• Remove pastry from freezer
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Place scrubbed mussels in a pot, cover with water and cook for about ten minutes. (You will need about one cup of mussels, so guesstimate how many mussels to cook!)
• Chop half an onion and garlic. Start sauteeing slowly in one tablespoon of butter. When onion and garlic are soft and clear, add one cup of sliced celery and cook until soft.
• When the mussels are cooked, remove from the pot and cool.
• Add potatoes and carrots to the mussel broth, cook vegetables until done.
• Meanwhile, pull mussels from their shell, pull away the beard, and gently massage each one under cool running water (this will further remove the sand). Large mussels can be cut in half or thirds. Your goal is to have a cup of cooked mussels.
• Sprinkle one tablespoon flour over the onion/celery mix and slowly add some of the broth until a sauce forms. Add the mussels, potatoes, and carrots. Adjust with more broth to suit your taste.
• Add 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly.
• Butter your pie dish, place one sheet of pastry on the bottom, fill with mixture, place second sheet of pastry on top.
• Finish by coating with an egg wash.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

I like to serve this dish with green beans and radicchio. The radicchio provides a nice balance to the sweet and succulent pie!

Enjoy!