Let’s cook!

Steamed Mussels with Spinach and Tomato

5 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium carrots, sliced

1/4 cup white wine

1-28oz can San Marzano plum tomatoes

1 bag of baby spinach

2 lbs mussels

1/2 white onion, chopped

salt and pepper

bread to soak up the broth

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and carrots.

Cook for 5 minutes. Add wine and boil until reduced slightly.

Add the tomatoes.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and mussels.

Raise the heat to high and cover. Cook for 3 minutes and remove the lid and add the spinach.

Cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Time to serve and here is how I plated the dish.

Here is the close-up:

If you enjoy mussels like we do give this a shot!

Tomorrow, Jen is making me dinner and will post tomorrow night, so I get the night off from cooking and posting as my reward for painting the nursery this weekend.

Happy Cooking!

Salmon/Mussels with Curry Butter

For the Salmon and Mussels:

2 tablespoons fennel seeds

2 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 4-5 ounce salmon fillet, boneless and skin removed (or you can remove it after you cook it like I do)

1/2 lemon, juiced

10 mussels, cleaned

2 scallions, chopped for garnish

For the Curry Butter:

1 stick of butter

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

First thing, preheat oven to 350.

To make the curry butter, combine butter, curry powder, jalapeno, garlic, and salt/pepper in a food processor.

Pulse until smooth.

I set the mixture aside and let the butter soften at room tempature for later. Begin preparing the salmon by making a seasoning with fennel, coriander, salt and pepper. Mix these ingredients in a bowl and the cover the salmon.

Put the salmon in the oven and let bake for 20 minutes.

Time for the mussels. In a pot take a cup of chicken broth and a cup of water and bring to a rapid boil. Now add the mussels.

The mussels will open pretty quickly so have your baby spinach ready to add to the pot once you see they have opened.

Once the spinach cooks down mix with the mussels in the pot and turn off the heat and let sit.

The salmon should be about done, so I use the Uncle Ben’s 90 second rice because it is REALLY easy and taste great. Tonight’s flavor was wild rice. So, the meal is done and it is time to assemble. First, I put rice down on the plate, then top with the salmon, which was right from the oven. Scoop a teaspoon of the curry butter on top of the fish and it will melt pretty quick.

And here is the final plate with the mussels and spinach. Also, I used the scallions as garnish.

I am getting closer to a 30 minute meal, (this one only took 40 minutes) but hey, who cares about the extra 10 minutes when this dish is so full of awesome flavor. If you are searching for a way to spice up your ‘relationship’ with salmon, here is a way to do it. And hey, who knows, it might even spice your other relationship too.

Happy Cooking!