MINI EGG PIZZAS

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 (30 ml) olive oil • 2 medium yellow onions, diced • 2 (14 oz (397 g)) cans diced tomatoes • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic powder • 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder • 1 (14 oz (397 g)) can full-fat coconut milk • 1 C (35°F) 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.

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Mini egg pizzas is the title on this page, but the recipe card actually holds something better: a coconut-curry mussel braise, with two and a half pounds of mussels steamed open in a golden sauce of tomatoes, yellow curry powder, garlic, and full-fat coconut milk. One pot, six servings, and the sauce alone is worth mopping up.

Pro Tips

• Scrub the shells and pull the stringy beard off the hinged side before cooking, and throw out any mussels with cracked shells — they can't protect the meat inside.
• Build the sauce first: soften the onions about 6 minutes, add tomatoes, garlic powder, and curry powder, then simmer with the coconut milk before the mussels ever hit the pot.
• Once the mussels go in, cover for just 8 minutes — they're done the moment the shells pop open, and longer cooking turns them rubbery.
• Discard any shells that stay closed after cooking; they were dead going into the pot and aren't safe to eat.
• Serve it boldly saucy — toss the opened mussels to coat, then ladle extra curried coconut-tomato broth over them in the bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if some mussels don't open?

Toss them. When the pot is done, every shell should have opened and the meat should pop out easily; sealed shells after 8 covered minutes were dead before cooking.

Can I use light coconut milk instead of full-fat?

Full-fat is the right call here — its creaminess is what carries the yellow curry powder and tames the tomatoes. Light coconut milk turns the broth thin and sharp.

Is this mussel dish spicy?

Two tablespoons of yellow curry powder give it a warm, gentle spice rather than real heat; halve the amount if you're cooking for very young palates.

Why do the mussels open and close while I wash them?

They're alive — that's exactly what you want. Handle them gently, and treat the shell movement as your freshness check on the way home from the store.

Recipe Card