Stuffed Mussels

With a package of frozen cooked New Zealand mussels I have in the freezer, I decided to do something with it for my Tapas Party. I’m not a huge fan of those plump mussels (or any similar shellfish), but I don’t mind them when they are chopped. I decided to google for a stuffed mussels recipe and found one on my favorite online food sites; Tastespotting. I found a recipe here and extracted bits and pieces from it.

The mussels can definitely be prepped / stuffed ahead and baked about 15-20 minutes prior to serving. You do want to make sure to cover and store the stuffed mussels in the fridge if you do not plan to bake it right away.

STUFFED MUSSELS RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 10 Cooked Mussels, On Half Shell
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Onion
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Bell Pepper
• 2 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• 6 Tbsp Milk
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Bread Crumbs
• 1-2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Carefully remove mussels from shells and chop them. Set shells aside for stuffing. Set chopped mussels aside.

Heat butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté until bell pepper is soft. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes to make a roux. Gradually, stir in milk to achieve the béchamel sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Once sauce thickens, remove pan from heat.

Stir in chopped mussels and evenly stuff them into the mussel shells. Sprinkle some bread crumbs and parmesan cheese over the stuffed mussels. Placed them on a baking pan lined with some foil and baked them for about 15 minutes or when the crumbs turn slightly brown. Let mussels cool slightly before serving.