One Great Dish IV: As Told by Chef Brian Aaron at Tannin’s

Mussels Recipe by Tannin's Wine Bar

Chef Brian Aaron at Tannin’sWine Bar and Kitchen makes the most delicious mussels and he swears they’re fast (once you’re past that debearding part) and easy.  No, they don’t really take much time at al. 

Mussels are really just clams of a certain kind.  You can buy mussels at most grocery stores at the butcher/fish counter by the two pound bag.  Or they might be frozen.  What’s debearding you might ask?  When you wash each mussel, you’ll notice on many of them some threads, for lack of a better word.  That’s how they were attached to whatever they were attached to.  Pull that out and off and they’re ready to go.

You can prepare this dish right before serving and they are definitely pleasers – serve with some crusty bread to soak up all that goodness in the bowl!

Here are the ingredients:

2 pounds             Fresh Prince Edward Island Mussels (washed and debearded)

1 each                 Russet Potato (cleaned and diced)

1 each                 Carrot (peeled and diced)

1 each                 Celery Rib (cleaned and diced)

1 each                 Garlic Clove (minced)

1/2 pound            Diced Bacon

1 pinch                Chopped Fresh Thyme

1 pinch                Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 cup                 White Wine

1/2 cup                 Heavy Whipping Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:  In a medium-high sauté pan or sauce pot, start by adding the bacon and rendering it down until becomes golden brown and starts to get crispy.

Add the diced potatoes, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté until the vegetables begin to get soft. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and then add the mussels, cream, thyme and crushed red pepper. Stir the mussels and cover the pot for about 2 minutes or until the mussels just begin to open. If needed, add a little salt and pepper.

Dump everything in a bowl, have the bread ready, and look out!

1526 Walnut Street 
Kansas City, MO 64108 
Ph. 816-842-2660