Lifestyle

Nigel Slater’s mussels with bacon, parsley and horseradish recipe


The recipe

Finely dice 150g of smoked streaky bacon. Pour 4 tbsp of olive oil into a shallow pan over a moderate heat then add the bacon and cook for 5-7 minutes or until starting to crisp. Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Scrub and check carefully 1kg of mussels. Put them in a deep pan, cover with a lid and place over a high heat. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes until their shells are open then remove from the heat.

As the bacon crisps, lower the heat and add the chopped garlic, then 50g of fresh white breadcrumbs. Let the crumbs cook, moving them round the pan regularly so they do not burn, then grate in about 10g of fresh horseradish and the zest of a lemon. Chop 4 tbsp of parsley, add to the crumbs and set aside.

Pull the top shell from each of the mussels and discard. Put the mussels on a baking sheet or grill pan. Spoon the bacon crumbs over the mussels then place under a hot grill for 2 or 3 minutes until sizzling. Serves 2.

The trick

Check the mussels carefully, pulling away any beards, discarding any with cracked shells, or that refuse to close instantly they are tapped against the sink. Steam them for no longer than it takes the shells to open. They can be left, covered, for a few minutes while you prepare the crumbs before removing from the pan and snapping off their uppermost shells.

The twist

Use sausagemeat in place of the bacon, peeling away the skin then crumbling the meat into tiny pieces before adding to the hot oil. Allow the meat to crisp a little before adding the crumbs.

The Observer aims to publish recipes for fish rated as sustainable by the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide

Follow Nigel on Twitter @NigelSlater





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