Seasonal Pantry: Where to get mussels in Sonoma County, and how to prepare them at home

Mussels are also very easy to prepare well at home. You need no special culinary skills, just a bit of knowledge to get it right.|

Should you find yourself on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, walking leisurely towards its famous fountain with the ancient plane trees overhead, their spring buds catching the light of the setting sun, you'll find many places to quell your hunger and quench your thirst. And you needn't hurry. Restaurants and cafés are open until the wee hours.

One of my finest memories, other than the sunset when the Provençal sky turned a stunning periwinkle, is slipping into a restaurant that specialized in mussels at about 4 a.m. Did I select the simplest preparation, mussels steamed in white wine with garlic and tomato, or did I indulge in curried mussels or mussels swimming in a broth of ginger and coconut? I no longer recall, though I do remember that the dry rosé I had alongside was the ideal accompaniment.

Although we have no restaurants that specialize in mussels, you'll find them on the menus of several of the Starks' restaurants, at Sebastopol's K & L Bistro and at Santa Rosa Seafood's Raw Bar and Grill. Bistro 29 in downtown Santa Rosa offers mussels several ways, including with Spanish chorizo, piment d'Espelette and piquillo peppers.

Mussels are also very easy to prepare well at home. You need no special culinary skills, just a bit of knowledge to get it right. First, once you get your mussels home, rinse them in cool water and drain them in a strainer or colander. At this point, most will have closed tight. If any have not, tap them gently with, say, a dinner knife. If one doesn't close, discard it. After steaming them, look through them again and discard any that remain tightly closed.

There was a time when most of the mussels in retail markets were wild, with barnacles attached and, often, beards of seaweed that needed to be trimmed. These mussels needed to be scrubbed well, too. Now virtually all mussels sold in markets are farmed, and that is where we get into a bit of confusion.

What farmed seafood is OK to eat and what is not recommended? It is a controversial and somewhat complicated issue. When it comes to aquaculture, you can divide things into two categories: fish and shellfish.

Farmed fish are controversial for a variety of reasons, including a negative environmental impact and health concerns based on what the fish are fed and how well they fare in concentrated populations that prevent them from acting as they would in the wild. But shellfish, especially these bivalves, are not a problem for two reasons.

First, they are stationary in the wild and farmed. And those that are farmed do not need to be fed, as they eat exactly the same thing as their wild cousins: They are filter feeders, taking nutrients out of the seawater that washes over them constantly.

Locally, most of our mussels come from Tomales Bay. Mussels from Prince Edward Island, known as PEI mussels, are common throughout North America. Seafood Watch, a project of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, lists mussels as a “Best Choice.”

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You have to love a recipe with just two ingredients that takes mere minutes to prepare. Enjoy them as a first course or as a main course, with a big green salad and hot hearth bread alongside.

Dry Roasted Mussels with Black Pepper

Serves 4 as an appetizer, 2 as a main course

1½ pounds fresh mussels

- Black pepper in a mill

- Habanero vinegar or other hot vinegar, optional

Immediately before cooking the mussels, rinse them under cool running water. Discard any that are not closed and do not close when tapped. Drain well.

Set a large heavy skillet, preferably made of cast iron, over high heat. When a droplet of water sizzles and evaporates immediately, tip all of the mussels into the skillet and shake the pan. The mussels should begin to open immediately.

Continue shaking the pan until all of the mussels have opened.

If the pan becomes thoroughly dry, sprinkle a little bit of water to moisten it.

When all of the mussels have opened, grind a generous amount of black pepper over them and serve immediately, either in the pan or carefully tipped into serving dishes.

Enjoy the mussels with just black pepper, or sprinkle just a bit of hot vinegar over them.

Eat the mussels with your fingers, but be careful not to burn yourself at first, as they will be very hot.

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This broth takes on a beautiful golden glow when you add the turmeric, which also contributes a subtle yet delicious earthy flavor.

If you don't want to use butter, you can replace it with coconut oil.

Steamed Mussels with Ginger and Coconut Milk

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano, seeded and minced

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

½-1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

- Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 cups dry white wine

4-6 dozen black mussels, rinsed in cool running water

3/4 cup coconut milk

- Sugar, as needed

- Hearth-style bread, hot

Melt the butter in a large pot set over medium low heat. Add the shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and serrano and sauté 2 minutes more. Season with salt and several generous turns of black pepper, stir in the turmeric, ginger and lemon zest, and add the wine. Increase the heat to high and reduce the wine by one-third.

Return the heat to medium, add the mussels and cover the pan. Cook, shaking the pan now and then, until the mussels open, about 4 minutes. Cook 4 minutes more, remove from the heat and lift the lid.

Divide the mussels among large individual bowls, discarding any mussels that remain tightly closed.

Working quickly, return the pan to medium heat, add the coconut milk, taste and correct for salt and pepper. If the juices seem a little flat, add a bit of sugar to boost the flavor of the coconut.

Ladle some of the juices over each portion and serve immediately, with hot bread alongside.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, many of which have recipes that call for mussels. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.

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