Steamed Mussels
with Lemongrass and Chilli

Stefano's Restaurant, Mildura Grand Hotel, Victoria

Ingredients for Steamed Mussels with Lemon Grass and Chilli:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin)

• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

• 2 cm ginger, coarsely chopped

• 3 sticks lemon grass, coarsely chopped

• 2 red chillies, coarsely chopped

• Parsley leaves and stalks, coarsely chopped

• A few pieces lemon peel, coarsely chopped

• 1 kg mussels, beards removed

• 80 ml (1/3 cup) good quality white wine

Grand Hotel, Mildura,
Victoria, Australia

Chef Stefano de Pieri,
Stefano's Restaurant
of Mildura Grand Hotel.

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and rapidly add the garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chillies, parsley and lemon peel.
2. Add the mussels at once and, with the flame on high, place the lid over the saucepan. After a moment or two, add the white wine and cover again. It will only take a few moments for the mussels to steam open. Shake the pan to help them along. Those that stubbornly refuse to open should be discarded. (It may pay to remove the great bulk of cooked ones before attempting to open the tough ones).
3. The mussels should be fragrant, redolent of lemon grass and, above all, juicy.
4. Do not overcook, ever.

We gratefully acknowledge this contribution from Stefano de Pieri and Mandy Foreman of Grand Hotel, Mildura, Victoria, Australia.

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