Thai Style New Zealand Green Shell Mussels

Ingredients

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 cup very thinly sliced yellow onions
1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 serrano chile peppers, or to taste, seeded and minced
1 cup fish or shrimp stock
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 pounds New Zealand Green Shell Mussels, well rinsed in several changes of water, beards removed, any open mussels discarded
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Chopped cilantro leaves
Chopped mint leaves
French bread, as accompaniment

Instructions

In a large saute pan or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile peppers, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the stock, lime juice and sugar, and stir well. Add the mussels and bring to a boil. Cover and cook, shaking the pan, until the mussels open, about 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, cilantro and mint, and stir well to combine. Cook until the coconut milk is warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and serve in deep bowls. Serve with French bread.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings