When you think “warm-weather recipe” you may think “grill”…but there are ways to make dinner feel light and fresh and summery without breaking out the barbecue.
Mussels, for example. Make some mussels.
I love ordering mussels with white wine and garlic in restaurants and have wanted to try my hand at making the dish myself for years and years, but never have, mostly because they seemed…intimidating. But the other day, I went to the farmer’s market and started chatting with a fisherman who was sitting next to a big ice bucket filled with mussels that he’d just caught an hour earlier, and: hello, opportunity. So I bought two pounds, and asked him to suggest a recipe.
And as turns out, mussels are not intimidating in the slightest. They honestly couldn’t be easier or faster to make, and are so delicious that they even won over my seafood-averse husband and toddler (!!!). Oh: and they’re filled with iron and thus excellent for you (and for your skin; did you know that iron makes your skin glow? It’s true).
New summer staple.
(Serves 2)
What You Need:
½ stick butter
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
3 or 4 scallions, chopped
1 cup white wine
2 lbs fresh mussels, rinsed well in a colander
1 handful parsley, roughly chopped
What You Do:
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot (one that has a fitted lid) until the butter melts.
2. Add the garlic, onion, and scallions and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the onions are just translucent.
3. Throw in the white wine and cook another minute or two (so the alcohol burns off).
4. Add the mussels and parsley, toss lightly with the butter/white wine sauce, cover, and steam for about ten minutes (the shells will open up; go ahead and toss any that don’t).
Serve with French fries (or summery vegetables and French bread).
For more healthy-skin recipes, visit the Simple Skincare blog.
