Mussels | My Kids Really Eat This

My kids love looking at the lobsters in the tanks whenever we’re at the supermarket. They make me stop at the tank every time and my middle son always asks me to buy some. Our local family-owned supermarket was having a special on lobsters ($3.99/lb) and I just had to add two of them to my PEI mussel purchase. They’re usually double that price. I bought a pound of the mussels (an appetizer) which were on sale too for just $2/pound!

New England Clambake often consists of steamed lobster and clams (and maybe mussels), corn on the cob, potatoes and coleslaw. The best I’ve had was on tiny Clam Island off Branford, CT where the lobsters were cooked in a huge aluminum garbage can over an open flame with the traditional seawater and seaweed. Yum!

I had corn and potatoes from our CSA, but didn’t get around to making my coleslaw even though I had the ingredients. And I make a pretty good coleslaw. I just couldn’t get it together. It’s the end of summer and the kids are definitely acting like they’ve been around each other a bit too long. So I heated up the micro bok choy I’d steamed the night before instead. With Asian ingredients, hardly New England. So I might as well make my mussels ala Belgian or French style- white wine, chives, parsley, shallots, chopped tomatoes and a touch of butter. Plus, I took the corn off the cob (we only had 3 for 4 of us) and warmed it up with butter, salt and pepper. And I didn’t buy any clams, so I could hardly call it a “clambake” now.

Well, whatever we call it. It was great! And it seemed like the perfect dinner for an end-of-summer night. Considering the temperature dropped the following day and it feels like autumn I’m glad I seized the sale.

The kids were a little cautious with the lobsters. They can be a bit daunting. I think next time I’ll shell it for them and serve it with butter, garlic and lemon. My three year old gladly had the mussels but didn’t want to try the lobster right out of the shell. At least they all ate their bok choy and corn. And my husband got to have the left over lobster for lunch.

I love all seafood and my children like most kinds. I’ve told most people that my “go to” meal for them (one I know they will finish happily) is salmon with rice and veggies. But mussels became a regular dish two years ago when we were in New Hampshire with a girl friend and her two girls. All five kids loved the mussels we moms ordered, that now we get them/prepare them often when we’re together. My three year old is the biggest fan. He orders them out at restaurants too. He was the one who pleaded with me to buy some the other day.

One pound, cleaned and de-bearded PEI mussels
1/2 TBSP olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
1 shallot chopped
handful of chopped fresh chives, parsley and/or basil
1/2 cup white wine
1 plum tomato chopped

Lightly sauté shallots for two minutes over high heat in olive oil. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two until just done but not brown. My husband’s trick: add the white wine and take it off heat it stops it from cooking further – esp. if you’re not ready to eat quite yet. I always just added the mussels and everything else but the garlic and oil got too brown (it changes the flavor). I usually use the NZ Sauvignon Blanc we’ve got around (hint: Black Box wines have great value and taste and keep wine fresher than an open bottle. It’s 4 bottles in one box, so easy for backyard bbq’s!) but any drinkable white will do. About 1/2 cup for 1 pound of mussels. Add mussels, fresh herbs and tomato. Cook covered on med-high, stirring once or twice, until open and cooked through- about 8-10 minutes. Serve in large bowl with crusty bread on side for dipping. Amazingly you won’t need salt! The mussels are usually salty enough.

My kids eat them and several of my friends’ children do as well! If you like seafood, but think they won’t just introduce it to them… have them try yours and see if they’ll bite!

My Kids Really Eat This

getting kids to eat well in the real world

Tag Archives: mussels

Non-Traditional New England Clambake

PEI Mussels