Whenever the husband and I crave good food that's convenient, filling and has that home-cooked charm, Dampa in Pasay City is our go-to place. We recently went to Claire's on a date night sans baby Ira for some serious seafood eating.
We had garlic butter shrimps, lato (seaweed) salad and baked mussels. All so good!
We had garlic butter shrimps, lato (seaweed) salad and baked mussels. All so good!
At home, I made baked mussels for the first time during our Todos los Santos break. I used a toaster oven.
A few notes:
Check to see that each uncooked mussel is firmly closed. Discard mussels that have cracks or have their shells open, as these are dead and unsafe to eat.
Wash uncooked mussels thoroughly. Place mussels in a colander or bowl in the sink under running water. Scrub them clean -- scrape off barnacles and remove the beard sticking out from the shells.
I don't like refrigerating or storing raw seafood at home for later use, so I only purchase them when they're on my menu. I also don't like my seafood frozen, that's why I prefer buying them from the palengke. I immediately clean and cook them after purchase to keep our home smelling fresh.
TOASTER OVEN MUSSELS
I don't really measure very strictly, so the recipe is an educated guess. Feel free to alter.
TOASTER OVEN MUSSELS
I don't really measure very strictly, so the recipe is an educated guess. Feel free to alter.
1/2 kg mussels
100 g cheese (I used Ques-O, as this was what's in my fridge)
4 tbsp butter (I used Dari Creme Lite)
2 tbsp scallions/spring onions
Check, debeard and wash mussels clean.
Make shells open up. Place cleaned mussels in a bowl, pour boiling water and leave for 5-7 minutes. Drain. Repeat this step twice. Discard unopened mussels.
Boiling and steaming can also open up the shells.
Remove the extra shell from the opened mussels. Arrange mussels on baking pan. Top with butter, grated cheese and scallions. Toast for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate, top with more scallions and enjoy warm.
Next time I make Toaster Oven Mussels, I'll be using Quickmelt cheese to make them more picture-perfect. And maybe add garlic butter sauce, breadcrumbs and some bacon -- because, hey, bacon!
100 g cheese (I used Ques-O, as this was what's in my fridge)
4 tbsp butter (I used Dari Creme Lite)
2 tbsp scallions/spring onions
Check, debeard and wash mussels clean.
Make shells open up. Place cleaned mussels in a bowl, pour boiling water and leave for 5-7 minutes. Drain. Repeat this step twice. Discard unopened mussels.
Boiling and steaming can also open up the shells.
Remove the extra shell from the opened mussels. Arrange mussels on baking pan. Top with butter, grated cheese and scallions. Toast for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a serving plate, top with more scallions and enjoy warm.
Next time I make Toaster Oven Mussels, I'll be using Quickmelt cheese to make them more picture-perfect. And maybe add garlic butter sauce, breadcrumbs and some bacon -- because, hey, bacon!
