Mussels in Welsh Ale

To celebrate our great Welsh Seafood and help your cook up a storm in the kitchen for you and your family, why not try out this great recipe of Welsh mussels in a Welsh Ale.

Here is a step-by-step guide to preparing and cooking this fabulous Seafood dish:

Ingredients

• 75g butter
• 2 Carrots (cut to brunoise)
• 3 Celery stalks (cut to brunoise)
• ½ Leek (finely chopped)
• 3 Shallots (finely diced)
• 2 Garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1kg Gower Mussels
• 300g Double cream
• Chive, Parsley, Chervil (finely chopped)
• 10g Welsh rapeseed oil
• 250g Real Welsh ale

Sourdough Loaf (Optional)

Preparing & Cooking your Mussels:

1. To Begin, wash and clean the mussels by running under cold water and using a spoon to remove the beards. Once the beards are removed you need to scrap off any barnacles, rinse then place into a clean bowl. Repeat until all mussels are clean.
2. For the sauce base, you will need to melt the butter in a pan and sauté the shallots, garlic, carrots, celery and leek until cooked with no colour.
   (remember to take your time with the brunoise vegetables and make sure every piece is 2mm by 2mm, this will improve your knife skills)
3. When the vegetables are cooked, remove from the pan and place to the side to use later on.
4. Using the same pan, place the rapeseed oil and heat until smoking.
5. When the oil is hot add in the mussels and place the lid on and shake the pan to move the mussels around
6. Continue to cook until the mussels begin to open then remove the lid
7. Next, pour in the ale and reduce by half, allowing the alcohol to cook off and enhance the flavour with the natural juices from the mussels
8. When reduced, add back in the vegetables you prepared earlier and stir
9. Add in the double cream and reduce until thickened whilst continuing to sir the mussels
10. When the cooking liquor has thickened, remove from the heat and add in the finely chopped herbs, season with salt and pepper
11. Finally, serve in a bowl with all the cooking juices and pair with freshly baked sourdough bread to absorb those cooking juices

Top Tip – Remember to use all the natural cooking juices when cooking with shellfish as this is a money can’t buy experience your pallet doesn’t want to miss out on

Top Tip – Try substituting the Real Welsh Ale for white wine and making yourself a classic French Moules Marinières

Preparing and cooking Seafood develops skills learnt by apprentices when working towards a Foundation Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery and Craft Cuisine Level 2 and covers preparing and cooking of a range of Seafood. For more information about Apprenticeships contact Cambrian Training Company at cambriantraining.com or Tel: 01938 555893.