Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Bord Bia
As previously mentioned I’ve teamed up with Bord Bia again this year for their #FlexYourMussels campaign during which during which I’m sharing my love for mussels.
Besides being delicious, mussels are very affordable, easy to prepare and a great source of protein and iron. That’s plenty of good reasons to cook them at home, don’t you think?
This time I’m sharing a mussel risotto recipe, which is perfect as a main for an unfussy dinner. In this recipe, mussels work well with the creamy texture of the risotto and are paired with some ingredients I absolutely love: saffron, dill and fennel. So tasty!
Make sure to use the hashtag #FlexYourMussels when cooking mussels at home or if enjoying them while eating out and check out www.bordbia.ie/fish for more mussel recipes, inspiration and tips.
Happy cooking!
Mussel Risotto
Serves 4
Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
1kg mussels(scrubbed and de-bearded)
100ml white wine
150ml cold water
2 tablesp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 small fennel bulb (trimmed and finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
300g carnaroli/Arborio/risotto rice
3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
A large pinch saffron strands, soaked in 1 tablesp. boiling water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g butter
1 tablesp. dill roughly chopped (reserve a few fronds to garnish)
To serve: A lightly dressed green salad
Method
Place the wine and 150ml cold water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the mussels, cover and cook for four to five minutes, shaking the saucepan a few times until the mussels have opened. Drain the mussels and reserve the cooking liquid. Discard any mussels that have not opened.
Remove most of the mussels from their shells, reserving about 20 in their shells for the top of the cooked dish.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and cook for five minutes, until softened but not browned. Add the rice to the onion and fennel mixture and stir to coat with oil. Add the garlic and saffron and stir well.
Measure the reserved cooking liquid and add enough water to bring it up to 900mls. Start adding the liquid, a little at a time, while stirring continuously. Wait until each addition of liquid has evaporated before adding more. Keep going until all but a spoonful remains. Season to taste, then turn off the heat. Add the mussels and butter, stir, then cover with a lid for five minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of cooking liquid, leaving any grit behind and fold in the chopped dill.
Divide the mussel risotto among four warmed bowls and top with the reserved mussels in their shells. Garnish with a few extra fronds of dill. Serve with a green salad.