This marinated seafood appetizer can be served at a buffet table or at a holiday table. Marinated mussels at home, the recipe for which I have described for you today in oil, are particularly exquisite, since mussels are perhaps one of the most delicious sea shellfish.
At the same time, it is important to understand that mussels are the orderlies of the seabed, because they filter the water, and the shell itself ends up with a lot of sand and contaminants. That is why you need to be able to properly cook this delicious seafood in order to get maximum pleasure from its taste and not get poisoned.
When choosing mussels, you need to pay attention to their condition. As a rule, shellfish go on sale frozen, so if the mussels are covered with thin frost, this means that they were frozen according to all the rules of dry freezing technology and were not subjected to re-thawing (which happens during transportation). You also need to remember that good quality mussels have a pleasant smell of the sea, and any other smells indicate a low-quality product. I also advise you to learn how to cook.
For marinating, frozen mussels are used, which need to be washed, peeled and boiled in a special marinade for a couple of minutes. This is also important, because mussels (like many other shellfish) cannot be exposed to prolonged heat, otherwise they become tasteless and stringy, like rubber.
The composition of the marinade is very successful, because after marinating the mussels become especially aromatic, moderately spicy and delicious.
- mussels (frozen) – 300 gr.,
- oil (vegetable, refined) – 2 tbsp.,
- sauce (soy) – 2 tbsp.,
- vinegar (9%) – 2 tbsp.,
- pepper (mixture) – 0.5 tsp,
- sugar (white) – 1 tsp,
- salt (sea, finely ground) – 1 tsp,
- laurel leaf – 2-3 pcs.,
- garlic – 3 cloves,
- dill (fresh) – a bunch.
First, let's prepare the mussels. Wash the shellfish thoroughly in cold running water to get rid of sand and small pebbles. Then we clean them (remove the insides) and wash them again.
Pour oil and soy sauce into a saucepan, then add vinegar, spices, salt and sugar. For a more original taste of the snack, we also add coriander. 
If necessary, add half a glass of water to bring the marinade to the required volume of liquid.
Now add the prepared mussels to the marinade. 
Bring the marinade to a boil and boil the contents of the pan for 1-2 minutes. 
Cool them, add chopped garlic, finely chopped dill, mix the shellfish. 
You can eat mussels immediately after cooling.
They need to be stored in the refrigerator in the marinade.
Bon appetit!
Seafood is very popular all over the world. True, in our country the demand for them has increased only in recent years. But if exotic seafood used to be rare, now they can be found quite often on the shelves of grocery stores. One of the representatives of such products are invertebrate mollusks, which are usually sold frozen. However, recently marinated mussels have begun to appear more and more often in stores. The recipe according to which they are prepared depends on the manufacturing company. But it turns out that such a delicacy can be made at home without much difficulty by choosing the option that suits you. As an example, we can consider several rather interesting methods.
As easy as pie
For those who have decided to try to cook marinated mussels for the first time, it is better to choose the recipe based on the availability of the main ingredients. You should not replace certain products yourself, as the result obtained may not live up to expectations. It’s better to act for sure so that you get really tasty marinated mussels.
The recipe for the simplest version requires that the following components be present on the desktop: 500 grams of mussels, 2 cloves of garlic, sugar, 1 lemon, salt, 2 onions, a bunch of parsley, paprika, black peppercorns, 50 milliliters of vegetable oil and several coriander grains.
Once everything is ready, you can begin to act:
- If the mussels are frozen, then the first step is to throw them into boiling water for a few minutes. After cooling, the characteristic growth by which they are attached inside the shell should be removed from the surface of the mollusks.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings, sprinkle with salt, sugar and fresh lemon juice.
- Combine products in a separate container.
- Add chopped parsley.
- Grind the coriander in a mortar with pepper, and then, adding paprika, turn the contents into a homogeneous mixture.
- Add the aromatic mixture to the mussels along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Place the container in the refrigerator.
In just 30 minutes, the most tender marinated mussels will be ready. The recipe is quite simple and does not require any special culinary preparation.
Additional processing
Sometimes, to be more confident that the product is truly ready for consumption, shellfish can be subjected to additional pre-treatment. In this case, you should use another, no less interesting method to marinate mussels. The recipe is somewhat similar to the previous version.
For three servings of the dish, you need to prepare the following products: 350 grams of frozen mussels, a teaspoon of salt, 6 black peppercorns, 15 grams of vinegar, 1 bay leaf, 100 grams of sugar, 150 milliliters of boiling water and 30 grams of vegetable oil.
This method involves the following steps:
- First, the shellfish must be placed in a pan of water and put on fire. The mussels need to be lightly cooked by adding salt and bay leaf. After 5 minutes, the broth should be drained and the shellfish should be placed in a separate clean container.
- To prepare the marinade, dilute vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt in boiling water.
- Pour the resulting still hot solution over the boiled mussels.
- Add oil and mix everything well.
After a couple of hours, the mussels can be safely eaten or used to prepare other dishes.
A worthy alternative
How else can you make marinated mussels? The cooking recipes are, in principle, very similar to each other. The difference lies only in the set and quantitative composition of the starting components for the marinade.
Take, for example, an option that requires the following products: for 300 grams of frozen shellfish, ½ glass of white wine, bay leaf, clove of garlic and a few grinds of black pepper.
For the marinade: 35 grams of vegetable oil, salt, 1 teaspoon each of cilantro, honey and mustard, as well as dill and pepper.
In this case you need:
- The first step is to defrost the main product and clean it of any debris inside.
- Pour wine into a saucepan, and then add pepper, garlic and bay leaf to it.
- Place the prepared mussels there and cook them for 3 minutes after the mixture boils.
- Prepare a marinade from the ingredients specified in the recipe.
- Pour it over the still warm clams and leave them in this position for 3 hours.
Thanks to the unusual filling, mussels acquire a pleasant taste and a delicate, spicy aroma.
Oriental style dish
There are a huge number of options with which you can prepare delicious marinated mussels. In this case, it is convenient to use a recipe with a photo to see how the products should look at each stage of the process.
For example, in oriental cuisine a method is often used for which you need to have 200 grams of mussels, 2 cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of lemon juice, 80 milliliters of soy sauce and 10 grams of ginger.
The whole process takes place in three stages:
- First, the shellfish must be thawed (if required) and cleaned. Then they should be boiled for 6-7 minutes in salted water, and then transferred to a plate to cool.
- Prepare a marinade from the ingredients according to the recipe. For scent, you can also add a sprig of herbs.
- Pour the resulting solution over the mussels and leave them for at least 2 hours. This time will be enough for the shellfish to absorb all the flavors well.
After this, the products can be safely placed on a plate and served as an original snack.
If you love seafood, prepare a very tasty mussel dish. I suggest you marinate them in the simplest way; they will be ready to eat in 1 hour. Although there are many options for marinating mussels, I found this one to be the most delicious and quickest. In a refrigerator marinated mussels with garlic They are stored for up to 1 week, so you can enjoy them for a long time. The mussels turn out juicy, moderately hot and spicy. They can be served with beer, made into salads and combined with other snacks. For step-by-step preparation of marinated mussels with garlic and onions with photos, buy fresh or frozen mussels, and use olive oil if possible. This savory appetizer, prepared at home, will be much tastier and healthier than store-bought marinated mussels.
Ingredients for making marinated mussels
Step-by-step preparation of marinated mussels with garlic and onions with photos
Marinated mussels are served as an appetizer with boiled rice or salads are prepared based on them. Bon appetit!
How to marinate mussels at home
Mussels are still perceived as a kind of delicacy, and despite the fact that there is already a complete abundance of them on our shelves, they still do not belong to the everyday shopping list. It’s another matter if you caught a couple of kilograms of shells with a mask and snorkel. Then you can marinate mussels right on a wild beach near a fire, the main thing is that you have the rest of the ingredients with you.
In stores, mussels can be found frozen or canned with oil. The second option, of course, is tempting - the product is already prepared, it can be used in a salad or on a sandwich. But home-cooked marinated mussels are very different in taste from store-bought canned ones - heaven and earth! The marinade turns out moderately sour, aromatic, oily, and does not overpower at all, but on the contrary, emphasizes the taste of seafood. And if you really want to surprise your guests, cook mussels according to this recipe! By the way, you can marinate both squid and shrimp in this way.
Marinated mussels in oil can be placed on the table when receiving guests, placing them in a small salad bowl or bowl. Or you can prepare a salad by adding those same mussels to a mix of fresh chopped vegetables. It will be very tasty!
Ingredients:
- 300 g frozen mussels;
- 2 tbsp. water;
- 0.5 tbsp. vinegar 9%;
- 0.5 tbsp. salt;
- 1.5 tbsp. granulated sugar;
- 1 bay leaf;
- 10 coriander peas;
- 1 tbsp odorless vegetable oil.
Recipe for marinated mussels at home
1. If we use freshly caught mussels, cook until all the shells open. They need to be immersed in boiling water and cooked over high heat so that the shells open, but the meat does not have time to become tough due to the high protein content. Then we separate each shell and scrape off the meat using the other half.
This is interesting! In Japan, mussels are considered a symbol of love. Due to the high temperature, the shells open and resemble a heart in shape, and the 2 halves are held together very tightly, which reminds them of a couple in love. And not a single wedding in Japan is complete without traditional mussel soup.
2. If you use peeled and frozen mussels, it is enough to defrost them at room temperature. We thoroughly clean it of algae and shell residues, and rinse thoroughly under running water. The hardest part is the leg, which attaches the mollusk to the shell; it can also be removed if desired.
3. Then pour boiling water over the mussels so that they are completely covered with water and leave for 10 minutes. You will need about 1 cup of boiling water.
4. Drain all the liquid and begin preparing the marinade. Add sugar, salt and spices to the bottom of the saucepan.
5. Pour in water and put on fire. Bring the marinade to a boil.
6. After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, add vinegar and vegetable oil.
7. Select a container for marinating; it is most convenient to use a regular glass jar. But to prevent the glass from cracking due to a sudden temperature change, just in case, we wash it with warm water. Then put the mussels in a jar and fill them with hot marinade. Marinate until completely cool. Store the jar of cooled mussels in the refrigerator.
Marinated mussels at home are ready! This recipe will make excellent marinated squid, large shrimp, and scallops. And for seafood lovers I would like to offer another very tasty recipe for marinated shrimp. Marinated seafood makes very tasty vegetable salads, and the marinade will serve as an excellent salad dressing, since it contains vegetable oil, vinegar, salt, and spices. Bon appetit!
