seafood

He cooks

As a child growing up in the country, seafood was a bit on the scarce side.

Every country town has the local fish and chip shop, but it could hardly be considered ‘gourmet’. Some are better than others of course; but I’ve been to some where you honestly don’t know what had been deep fried in batter and whether or not it actually came from the sea.

After being in the city (Sydney) for just under 20 years I have become a bit of a seafood-a-holic, I love the stuff. At first it was in restaurants; trying all the (to me) weird and wonderful things was a lot of fun and very tasty.

However, even after a number of years of eating it out, I still didn’t let it venture much into my domestic diet. Sure there was the odd pan fried fish but nothing with antennae, shells or claws.

Then I met she cooks (SC), and we started doing the mussels. They are amazing and you really do feel a bit special turning out these kinds of things at home.

Suffice to say SC does most of the hard work (read: peeling the prawns & debearding the mussels) so I am usually on the chopping board or similar.

We turn the mussels out really quickly and enjoy them with a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc. I know SC is going to enlighten you on the ‘where are the eggs’ incident, whereas I am going to stick to encouraging you to try this yourself. How was I supposed to know that you need eggs to make mayonnaise!?!

She cooks

‘I thought the eggs were optional’, he cooks (HC) says with a dejected look on his face.

HC was so proud that he had done all of the food shopping and had done it under budget, even if it meant not getting the ‘essentials’, like eggs. Eggs, of course, that are one of the main ingredients in mayonnaise mussels!

‘Can’t we just use the jar stuff?’ HC asks.

No HC, we can’t use the ‘jar stuff’ because it just doesn’t taste the same as making your own, and as mayonnaise is the main ingredient in this recipe, it is important to get the base right.

We’re not really off to a great start with our mayonnaise mussel dinner but at least HC knows (now anyway) that eggs are definitely not optional when making mayonnaise!

So off to the shops we go and pick up the eggs, with a hungry growling tummy and a stroppy HC. Good thing these mayonnaise mussels are quick to make and can be eaten out of the pot, in front of the telly, perfect for a decadent night in.

HC chops the spring onions and parsley, then the bread. I make the mayonnaise that forms the base of the sauce, whilst he dips his finger in it and declares it delicious!

We whip up the mussels in 15 minutes and then feel quite proud sitting on the lounge eating the delicious mussels straight from the pan whilst dipping our bread in the sauce.

And, it only cost us $10 for the mussels, and a few dollars for the other ingredients (less if you already have the shallots, parsley and other staples on hand).

Click here to try out our mayonnaise mussels recipe!

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