Southside Weiss Pan Steamed Mussels with Roasted Lemon and Toasted Baguette – Southside Weiss is from Charlotte’s own Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
It wasn’t my intent to post beer steamed mussels today. I actually had other plans.
And I have a confession. NC Craft Beer Month totally came at me unexpectedly even though I signed up to for not one, but two cooking with beer events at local restaurants? Seriously? How did I get so far behind?
The only excuse I have is that I signed up for these day drinking and cooking educational events months in advance, so things get lost and confused. I know that must come as a great surprise.
So this weekend I went to a really cool cooking with beer event at Upstream here in Charlotte. It’s the second event I attended at Upstream and it’s totally fun and really full of food and booze educational. Lisa and I went to a similar event at the Mimosa Grill last weekend. There may or may not have been beer involved at 11:00 am.
I know we’ve done mussels in beer on this here website before, but this one is different with some of the ingredients and they are steamed in a skillet rather than covered in a Dutch oven.
So let’s talk mussels. The first thing you have to do is remove the weird hairy beards. Look up there. It’s that nasty looking hairy creepy business. It has to go.
I want that in my dish – said no one ever. Now, I’m keeping things real here. I do not like to touch things that are disgusting, so I either wear gloves or use a paper towel and grab that thing and pull it out. It’s easy. Just unpleasant. Sorry.
Now, Ina told me about this part. Put some cold water and baking soda in a large bowl. Full disclosure: I do not measure this business. I dump a bunch of baking soda into a bowl and add water. I then swirl it around and toss in the mussels. Ina tells me that it will make any residual sand fall out. Just be sure to scoop out the mussels with a mesh device and don’t pour everything into a colander because all that sand you just removed will be poured back on top.
I’m pretty sure you know how to char a baguette.
If you’re new to this game, there are instructions in the recipe below.
Trust me. YOU CAN DO IT! It’s supposed to be charred, so that dark color is not only ok, but encouraged! You may or may not have to deal with your smoke detector. I’m not admitting anything. I’m just sayn’ you’ve been warned.
Have a fantastic week, y’all!
Southside Weiss Pan Steamed Mussels with Roasted Lemon and Toasted Baguette
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds mussels
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- Water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 lemons sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 shallots minced
- 6-8 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Southside Weiss a Belgian would be a good substitute
- Thyme fresh, several sprigs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Parsley for finishing and garnish
For the Toasted Baguette
- Baguette 6-8 slices about 1/2 inch thick
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
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Clean (scrub with a brush) and remove beards from mussels (Use a paper towel or fingers to grab the bread and pull off)
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Add baking soda to a bowl of enough water to cover mussels, stir to dissolve
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Add mussels to baking soda/water mixture, and set aside for 30 minutes - according to the interwebs this will remove any sand from the mussels
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Using a spider or slotted spoon, scoop mussels from baking soda mixture to a colander - don't pour the mussels into the colander becasue the sand you just removed will come with them
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Heat a skillet or grill pan until hot
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While skillet is heating, drizzle sliced baguette with olive oil and sprinkle sightly with salt and pepper
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Char bread on each side in the skillet or grill pan, a couple of minutes on each side, or until color desired
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Set aside and/or keep warm in oven on low while the mussels cook
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Using a 12 inch skillet, heat olive and canola oils on medium heat
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Add lemons, and roast a couple of minutes on each side
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Add shallots and cook until almost translucent, 1-2 minutes
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Add garlic and cook until both garlic and shallots are soft, about another minute
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Transfer mussels to the pan with the garlic and shallots
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Cook while stirring 1-2 minutes
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Add beer, butter, and thyme
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Cook until all open, stirring frequently, rotating from the top to the bottom
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Finish with chopped parsley and another drizzle of lemon, if desired
Adapted from Upstream
I always get my husband to remove the beards, as I hate doing that part.
Mussels are a big part of our eating, as in Belgium (where my family are from), they are a traditional dish.
Oh you had me at beer steamed mussels! This sounds amazing, Rachelle! I’ve never made mussels myself, but I love ordering them out. What a delicious dinner!
If only Boy and I had moved just a biiiiiit closer to Charlotte! I hate that you are close, but not close enough for reoccurring day trips! I’d totally be going to all these super educational cooking with beer classes with you! Instead I’m just sittin’ over here all green with envy. 🙁 I adore mussels, but Boy had a bad experience with them and hasn’t let me make them in YEARS. Obviously I am changing that immediately, because these fantastic beer steamed mussels ARE getting made in the SuBourbon Country Cottage! Pronto! Love the lemon, garlic… and crunchy baguette of course! I want to face plant into these non-bearded bad boys! 🙂 Pinned! Cheers, sweets! xo
Woaah! I stopped eating mussels after I got really sick from them once, but I believe I’m ready to try again… These look delish!
Wow, what a delicious looking dish Rachelle! We LOVE mussels, so this one is definitely going on my list of things to make for friends this summer at the beach! Enjoy your week!
Sounds delish! And, I mean, c’mon beer plus mussels is a perfect match, especially when ya have a beer in hand to drink while eating them right 😉 ? Great tip with the baking soda! I don’t like cleaning mussels in our home, either, so usually hubby does that task. I’ll gladly eat ’em, though!! Pinned 🙂
This looks amazing! I think I’ve only had mussels maybe twice in my life. But looking at these pictures makes me realize what a big mistake that is. These sound so delicious!
If it’s beer month, you’ve gotta get on that, o queen of beer! I look to you for all guidance on ale-related matters. And putting it into seafood is a good way to start! Have I mentioned that I’m ALL about the toasted bread?
This dish is so impressive! I have not ever tried mussels, however, once I get over my fear of the little beardy thingy I would love to have a go at this! I know hubby would LOVE it! PS) I want to attend all the classes with you!
I’m glad your plans changed because this dish is A+++++++++ I love mussels and we (meaning New England) have the best quality mussels (all seafood really). So I’ll be buying about 10 pounds of them next weekend. Of course, don’t have your fancy NC beer so I’ll have to substitute, but that’s alright, it’s all about the mussels…
Your presentation is so so visually stunning! Yum 🙂
The toasted bread looks amazing! I actually like it all black and charred! YES!
Wow! What a stunning looking dish, Rachelle. The toasted bread is really something I want to have everyday for brunch.
That sounds like quite the event! Lots of fun, good eating, and beer! I love mussels and hardly ever make them. I need to give your recipe a try!
Absolutely stunning! Your pictures really tell a story and I love it! 🙂
Wow! These mussels look and sound amazing.
Mussels are sooooo damn good! I could eat 3 pounds of them in one sitting FOR SURE!
Beer steamed mussels? These look wonderful! Such a great idea, pinning!
Oh my goodness!! This recipe has me drooling and your commentary roaring laughing. I CANNOT WAIT to make these! I don’t have much experience with mussels and your post gives me the courage to tackle the little mollusks. I’m also thinking I need to look into the cooking classes at Upstream and Mimosa Grill. They sound so fun!