Mitch says:
 
“Often people think fresh fish is going to be expensive but there are so many ways to keep the cost down; choose things like herring roes on toast for a simple, cheap lunch or, one of my favourites, pasta with seafood which makes seafood go a long way.  I’ve chosen mussels here because they are such good value and so easy to get hold of and they make the most delicious supper.Serve with chips and your favourite beer!”.

Serves 4
2 kg mussels
50g butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
A good handful of parsley, finely chopped
100 ml dry white wine
Chips to serve

You'll also need a big deep pan with a lid (or some foil to cover)

Plunge the mussels into a sink full of water and swirl them around. Remove them one by one, yanking off the 'beard' (the hairy bits that grow out of the shell) and discarding any that are open. Wash again. Melt the butter in a saucepan and gently fry the garlic and shallot.  Add a little bit of parsley then add the wine and boil for just a minute or so.  Add the mussels and with a large spoon turn them over so that they get covered with the parsley and the juices.  Place a lid on the pan, give it a shake and allow the mussels to steam open, discarding any that don’t. (This will take about 3-4 minutes) Finally add the remaining parsley and stir the mussels again making sure that each one gets coated in the buttery garlicky juices. Serve in large bowls with chips or crusty bread.

© Mitch Tonks

Mitch Tonks's latest TV series Mitch and Matt's Big Fish starts on November 3rd 2009 at 9pm on UKTV Food. Check out his website mitchtonks.co.uk for details of his appearances, books and restaurants.

 

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