Coconut Curry Clams

Oh dear...I wish I could bathe in this. As I look at this picture, I can almost taste the wonderfulness of this dish. I should make it on a weekly basis. It's that good. It's better than good. It's fabulous. If I were to have a dinner party, I would invite you over and have this. Even if I weren't to have a dinner party, I would still make this for myself.

This is such a messy picture. We actually had this on New Years Eve along with lots of other seafood-y goodness, and I was so starved by the time I got everything out to serve, we just dove right in. By the time I got around to taking a picture, it was looking a little rough and I didn't care. But I couldn't hold out on you any longer with this recipe. That just goes to show how delicious it is, we attacked it, and I'm not afraid to show you. (Well, maybe a little afraid to show you - don't hate). Next time I make this, I'll show you something a bit more appealing and less like a pack of wolves served themselves.

If your not familiar with some of these ingredients, don't be afraid. You should be able to find everything in an averagely stocked grocery store. (Yes, even up in Vermont Mom & Dad) Don't be intimidated with the curry past either. It's probably not as strong as you think it is, and it's going to add so much dimension to this dish.

My local fish monger was all sold out of mussels, but I substituted clams using the same exact method. Shellfish are quite interchangeable. This would be just as good with scallops, shrimp, or really any type of fish.

Go make this! It takes less than a half hour. It's worth hours. And be sure to warm up some crusty bread to soak up all of that brothy goodness!

Nom. Nom. Nom.

Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass Coconut Curry
Printable Recipe

by Steamy Kitchen

• 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed & picked through (discard cracked shells and ones that don't close when tapped)
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part grated with microplane grater (substitute with 4 wide strips of lemon peel, or a tbsp of lemongrass paste)
• 2 bottles of clam juice
• 1 can (14oz) of good coconut milk (shake can vigorously to mix the fat with the liquid)
• 1/2 cup of Thai curry paste (add less depending on your spice tolerance)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or substitute with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 small skeins of mung bean noodles (cellophane/glass noodles) soaked in cold water for 5 minutes.
• chopped scallions & chili for topping

1. Fry the curry paste: In a wok or large pot, turn heat to medium. When wok is hot, but not smoking, add 2 tbsp curry paste and the lemongrass. Fry for 30 seconds to release its flavors.
2. Add the clam juice, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk.. Simmer for 3 minutes. (If you are using lemon peel, discard it.)
3. Taste the broth. If you want more heat, add more curry paste. In the meantime, drain your mung bean noodles. The noodles should still be a little stiff.
4. Steam the mussels: Turn heat to high and add your mussels. Immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam on high for 4 minutes.
5. Open lid, scootch the mussels to one side, add mung bean noodles and cook for another minute uncovered.
6. Use large spoon to redistribute the mussels from the top to the bottom of the broth, cook another 30 seconds and it's done! Top with chopped chilies and scallions.

(I don't know what's up with that font, every time I change it, it keeps going back to big, bold, and orange! Yikes!)