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Red Curry Coconut Milk Mussels

These red curry coconut milk mussels are ready in just 35 minutes and are packed full of ginger, garlic, and lemongrass flavors. You’ll be blown away by how easy they are to make and want to sop up every last drop of the red curry coconut milk sauce!

This post was written by me through an activation with HireInfluence on behalf of the PEI Mussel Industry Council. Although I received compensation for participating in the campaign, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I first moved to New York I was the type of person who was scared of almost all the new and interesting foods that came my way. I moved to New York from Ohio to become a nanny for an awesome family (who I lovingly refer to as my “New York family”) who bless their heart put up with all my Midwest non-sense. My birthday was only a month after I started working for them so they told me to pick a restaurant and we would all go out and celebrate. Ok, so if someone said that to me now they would freak out when I picked some fancy Michelin starred restaurant that probably serves WAY overpriced food with a pretentious elegance only a restaurant of that stature can do. However, 20-year-old Brandy took their idea and went crazy. She picked Applebee’s. APPLEBEE’S!

Ugh. But, because they are kind loving people they smiled politely and ate crappy mozzarella sticks with me. #takingonefortheteam

It was with them that I got my first taste of mussels. I saw the dad order mussels several times and every single time I thought to myself “yeah, no.” I had zero interest in eating those little black-shelled beauties until one day I realized I was annoying and needed to give them a try. I was tired of being intimidated by foods I didn’t recognize and I never wanted to be labeled a picky eater. As I’m sure you can guess I tried one mussel and had a hard time not wanting to eat them all!

After that, I was hooked. If I saw mussels on the menu I was all over them. I wanted them in red sauce, in white wine, in butter, with fries, with bread, on a boat, wearing a coat…ok, you get it – I was IN LOVE! If you have never given cooking mussels a try you should know they are easy to make, cook up quickly, packed full nutritious goodness and they are crazy affordable. My local store sells PEI Mussels in 2-pound bags for just $5. Yeah, that is pretty awesome.

These red curry coconut milk PEI mussels also make for a perfect appetizer to a seafood feast OR make a crazy delicious and easy to cook dinner. The red curry sauce is so good that I used up 2 loaves of bread soaking up all. that. sauce. It was not going to waste on my watch! Also, don’t let curry intimidate you if you have never give it a try before. This recipe is ONLY 8 ingredients and the flavors found in red curry paste include garlic, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime and coriander root. It’s a flavor paradise and works crazy well with this mussels recipe. PLUS it’s ready in just 35 minutes! There is no more reason to be intimidation by mussels. Trust me when I saw YOU CAN DO THIS!

You know what might be better than these red curry coconut milk PEI mussels? Winning a trip for 2 to Prince Edward Island! The awesome folks at PEI Mussels are giving this trip away to one lucky winner so make sure to enter and vote!

#PEIMusselsOnTheMenu

{Looking for even more delicious seafood recipes? Try my 20 minute seafood stew, spicy coconut milk clams, chipotle shrimp tacos or my spicy soft shell crab}

Red Curry Coconut Milk PEI Mussels

These red curry coconut milk mussels are ready in just 35 minutes and are packed full of ginger, garlic, and lemongrass flavors. You'll be blown away by how easy they are to make and want to sop up every last drop of the red curry coconut milk sauce!

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, grated
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 (14 ounce) full fat coconut milk
  • 4 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 2 pounds fresh PEI mussels, cleaned and rinsed
  • Cilantro, for topping

Directions:

Rinse the fresh mussels under running water. Throw away any that do not close or if their shells are cracked.

In a 12-inch skillet add olive oil and set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add in the onion. Sauté the onion just until it’s translucent and is softened, about 10 minutes.

Add in the grated garlic and ginger and sauté for another 30 seconds or just until fragrant - careful not to burn your garlic.

Pour in your coconut milk and add your red curry paste. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil.

Once the mixture is bubbling add in your mussels, stir and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes or until all the mussels have opened.

Note: Mussels are best cooked by the steam off hot liquid rather than by boiling them directly in a broth or sauce. If you see that most of your mussels haven’t opened after 5 minutes it’s ok to steam them a few more minutes to see if they will open. Once finished you shouldn’t have many unopened shells, but if you do throw them away. Also, if you use a smaller less wide pan you can cut down on the coconut milk so you don't end up boiling your mussels instead of steaming them. I use a 12-inch skillet to keep the liquid shallow.