Serves 6
Mussels are not like the muscles in your body that make you strong. They’re little creatures inside black shells that cling to rocks in the ocean. When you get them from the store, they are still alive (be careful and use gentle hands)! When you prepare them for cooking they’ll open and close their shells as you wash them. You also have to remove their beard, which is the part of their body that allow them to cling on to the rocks where they live.
When you put the mussels in the hot pot, you are able to watch them go from moving around to being ready to eat. When they’re cooked, their shells open up, and we like to make their shells flap open and closed and pretend they talk to each other–what do your mussels say?
INGREDIENTS
• 2½ lbs mussels
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder
• 1 (14 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 C water
INSTRUCTIONS AND HOW KIDS CAN HELP
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. To clean mussels, wash and scrub the outside of their shells and pull off any remaining stringy “beard” from the hinged side of the shell; inspect for broken shells and throw those away.
3. Heat oil over medium in a pot and add onions; cook until soft, about 6 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, garlic, and curry powder to pot and stir.
5. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a soft boil on medium heat.
6. Add mussels, stir and toss to coat in sauce, and cover for 8 minutes.
7. When done, all shells should have opened and meat should easily pop out of shell.
