Savory mussel soup
04-17-03 · Fish & seafood, Superb soups Tags: Asian, Filipino, shellfish
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The fastest way of ruining any seafood dish is by overcooking. Unlike meat, seafood turns dry and rubbery with overcooking. And they shrink like anything.
Most people make mussel soup by adding the mussels to the pan before pouring in the water. I don’t. I let the water boil first BEFORE adding the mussels. This way, I don’t overcook the mussels. After the water boils again, it only takes two to three minutes for to mussels to cook completely.
Ingredients :
1 kilo of fresh mussels
1 thumb-sized ginger, julienned
1 tbsp. of minced garlic
1 onion, diced
15 pcs. of onion leaves, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 tsp. of cooking oil
6-8 c. of water
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking procedure :
Wash mussels under running water. Place in a glass bowl and cover with fresh water. Let stand for 6 to 8 hours to expel sand. Discard mussels that do not open. Wash under running water again. Pull out the “beards”. Set aside.
Heat a large casserole. Add oil. Saute garlic and ginger until they start to brown. Add diced onion. Stir for about 30 seconds. Pour in the water. Bring to a full boil. Do not lower the heat at this point. Add cleaned mussels to the boiling water. When water is boiling again, lower heat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Do not overcook the mussels. Just before turning off the heat, add onion leaves. Serve hot.
I agree with you that overcooking seashells would toughen them. I also noticed that when you cook clams or tahong without sauteing them first gives you a kind of irritation in your throat. It is maybe because of the chemical reaction of water with the clam without the cooking oil just like when you boil water in an aluminum pot without the oil. Did you notice that when you reheat a malunggay recipe without chicken it would be pungent? And even if you overcook or reheat the tinola with malunggay it does still taste good? That is probably the reason why they say that taho can cause cancer because taho is cooked in an aluminum pan, or why MSG is cancerous. All because of the aluminum pan which is being used before. I don’t understand as to why peple are so scared of using MSG where in fact it is made out of sugarcane. It is because of what they use to manufacture it, the aluminum based pan. That is why substituting sugar makes the difference. Do you think they are still using the same old style of manufacturing? Sometimes too, people overuse Msg. It makes the food slimy and overwhelm the shoud be taste or flavor of the food. A pinch in every 4 quartz is enough to enhance the taste so as not to be bland.
I also suggest ampalaya leaves or talbos with the musell. Or ampalaya fruit. Radish, kamote tops or leaves, or alugbati could be good, too.
tita connie, when yiou let the mussels sit in water for 6-8 hours, is that at room temp or in the refrigerator?
In the fridge, mich, so they don’t spoil.