steamed tahong

Steamed Mussels (Moules Marinieres)

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There are different ways to cook mussels but my favorite is steaming. It’s the easiest and the fastest, and of course, I think it’s the best way to make use of its flavorful juices. The natural juices released drip down to the bottom of your pot and combine with whatever steaming liquid you use. The result is a broth with unbelievably incredible flavor.

Below is quite similar to the basic steaming recipe my mom uses but I took out the ginger and I experimented with wine and non-pinoy herbs. The wine is just an option. Steaming the seashells with a cup or 2 of water is fine. In fact, it’s great! Refreshingly pure and delicious.

Ingredients:
Live mussels (clean, scrubbed and beards pulled)
A cup of dry white wine (or just plain water)
Chopped onions
4 tbsp of chopped parsley
Pepper
Optional: Salt and extra virgin olive oil

Pour wine into a large saucepan, add chopped onion and pepper. Bring to boil over medium heat. Add mussels and half of chopped parsley and cover tightly. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the saucepan occasionally.

Transfer mussels into serving bowls. Strain steaming liquid carefully into another bowl, leaving any sand behind. Add the remaining parsley and whisk in 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Season with more pepper and salt if you like. Pour over the mussels and serve immediately.

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

15 thoughts on “Steamed Mussels (Moules Marinieres)

  1. wow, look at those long meat and juice!!
    I grill them, cook them in broth and wine but yet to try steaming them…you make me wanna!

    have a great Sunday, Iska!

  2. Haven’t had these in a long while and I suddenly had a major craving by just looking at your delish-looking photos! Too bad mussels aren’t so common here as they just normally have clams lang…waaahhh!!!

    Pinky´s last blog post..LaPiS: Steamed

  3. I miss this kind of tahong…greenish shells. All I could find here are the black shelled ones (and the shells seem thicker). Good thing they taste good anyway.

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