Award-winning local chef Marcelle Roberts of Café 1999, Unity Bar and S43 has teamed up with Seafood Enterprise to bring you a range of delicious chef made meals – ready to heat and eat. We’ve tried them and we love them. To tempt your taste buds, Chef Roberts has shared a deliciously creamy recipe for a Mussel, Bacon & Leek dish that is perfect for a starter or light meal. You’re welcome!
Creamy Mussels with Bacon & Leeks
Serves 2 to 4 people as a starter or light main
You’ll need: 500g Half Shell Mussels (slowly defrosted in the fridge and excess water drained.); 2 Leeks, sliced into thin rings; 120g Bacon Bits; Sprinkle of dried chilli flakes(optional); 1cup White wine; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1cup Fresh Cream; 1 Lemon, zested and juiced; a few sprigs of Thyme; Sea salt and Black pepper
Chopped fresh Parsley to garnish
Method:In a heavy based saucepan, sauté the leeks and garlic in some butter until soft.
Add the bacon and fresh thyme leaves. Cook until the bacon starts to brown.
Add the wine and reduce by about a third, add the cream and bring to the boil, once the cream is simmering, add the mussels, cover and steam until heated through.
Add lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper to taste. Tip: do not add all the lemon juice at once; this is very much taste and adjust.
There is also a lot of natural salt in mussels and the bacon is salty so be careful when adding your final seasoning.
Lastly, sprinkle in a handful of chopped parsley and serve in bowls with toasted garlic bread on the side.
Variation:
Substitute the leeks and bacon with fresh fennel and use Orange instead of lemon.
