I and my bestie, Jack, are not convincing taste testers because everything we eat is delicious. Our only difference is that she easily gets full while I have this stomach of a Viking. For almost two decades of friendship, we shared so many food adventures.

Unfortunately, our food and travel adventure won’t continue. She’s now in heaven but was taken in an untimely manner. Tol, may you rest in peace and justice must be served.

Though Jack has yet to taste this ginataang tahong, I’m sure she’ll love it. Firstly, she loves seafood, and secondly, she loves me so much. She’ll even taste this dish with shimmering eyes. She’s my biggest supporter.

Ingredients

• 1 kilo tahong
• 2 cups pure coconut milk
• 2 bundles of spinach – separate the leaves
• 5 cloves garlic – finely minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
• 2 medium red onion – chopped
• Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Steam the tahong.
2. Remove the flesh from the shell. Then, strain the stock and set aside.
3. In a pan, saute garlic, onion, and ginger.
4. Add the coconut milk and mussels stock. Let it boil.
5. Season it with salt and pepper.
6. Add the mussel meat and let it boil for about 30 seconds while mixing.
7. Turn off the heat and put the spinach leaves. Then, cover the pan and leave it for a few minutes.
8. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

• To remove the grit of the mussels, you can soak it overnight in cold water. Then, wash well.
• Don’t add water when steaming the mussels.
• Taste the soup first before proceeding with step 3 because the mussel stock is already salty.
• Don’t boil the dish too much after adding the mussels. Otherwise, you’ll end up with gummy mussel meat.
• This ginataang tahong is best eaten with rice.

The post Ginataang Tahong Recipe appeared first on Food Citations.

Due to its price, availability, and taste, mussels are well-sought. Here in the Philippines, it costs P20-P40 a kilo and will even go down depending on your haggling skills.

My suki, who goes by the name “suki,” and used to call me “pogi,” would send me text messages if she has a delivery of mussels and oysters. When I’m there to buy, she would allow me to pick from her bucket without any charges.

Read: Steamed Paros Recipe

One of the best and convenient ways to cook this is by steaming. Well, it’s actually confusing, because you are not steaming, you are boiling it.

Well, I don’t care about the term. I knew that this steamed mussels recipe is easy to do and will result in a sumptuous dish.

Ingredients

• 1 kilo mussels- cleaned
• 2 cloves garlic – minced
• 1 medium onion – chopped
• 2 thumb-size ginger – chopped
• 2 pieces tomato – chopped
• 1 cup water

Procedure

1. In a casserole, put the water, garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes. Then, bring into a boil.
2. Add the mussels.
3. Cover the casserole and put into boil for 10 minutes.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Notes:

• To eliminate grit caused by the food of the mussels, you can soak them overnight with cold water and salt.
• As you can notice, I add a cup of water. This is because I found a recipe without water too salty.
• This steamed mussels recipe is best during colder days.

The post Steamed Mussels Recipe appeared first on Food Citations.

Mussels are an astonishing shellfish. In their natural habitats, they form a clasp called the mussel beds that if left undisturbed, they can stay there for up to 40 years. Such beds can house multiple mussel species.

Though they spend their lives in their beds, mussels can walk. Yes, they can do this by attaching and detaching their byssal threads to change from one place to another. That’s amazing, isn’t it?

Read: Buttered Shrimp Recipe

Mussels are awesome in the wild, but they are also awesome as food. The simple steamed mussels is a satisfying recipe but we can make it grandiose by adding some fillings.

Here is my Creamy Steamed Mussels Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1-kilo mussels, soaked in cold water overnight
• 125 ml all-purpose cream (1/2 pack)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Dried and crushed basil leaves
• Oil
• Pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a casserole, steam the mussels. Strain to separate the juice from the shells and flesh. Remove half of the shell and set aside.
2. In a pan, saute garlic until crispy. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, saute the onion and ginger.
4. Add the juice and boil for about 5 minutes.
5. Add sugar and put into a boil.
6. Put the cream and boil until thick.
7. Add pepper and remove from fire.
8. Let it rest for a couple of minutes before putting in the crispy garlic. Mix well.
9. Scoop the sauce and put it on the mussel. Repeat until all the pieces are covered.
10. Garnish with dried basil leaves.
11. Enjoy.

The post Creamy Steamed Mussels Recipe appeared first on Food Citations.