This recipe for Thai Mussels is a “main course” recipe entry in the So Delicious Dairy Free 3-Course Recipe Contest, submitted by reader Nancy Diana. Nancy says, “This is an elegant weekend meal to share with guests. A show stopping dish ready in minutes and low in calories!”
Special Diet Notes: Thai Mussels
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, and tree nut-free.
For peanut-free and soy-free Thai mussels, choose your oil wisely. Vegetable oil is often soy-based. Some other high-heat oil options include rice bran, avocado, or canola.
- 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised with the back of a knife along the stem, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced finely
- 1 tablespoon red panang paste (found in Asian isle)
- 11 ounces lite or regular canned coconut milk (regular, full fat)
- 1 lime, zested, cut in half and juiced; reserve halves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley
- 4 pounces mussels, scrubbed well and debearded
- Serving suggestion: toasted points or crusty bread (wheat or gluten-free)
- Preheat a wok or skillet on high. Add the oil and sauté the shallots, lemon grass, garlic and ginger until fragrant,about 1 minute. Add the panang paste and incorporate.
- Add coconut milk, 2 halves of squeezed lime and ½ of zest, stir to cook and blend flavors, reducing heat to medium-low and simmering for 3-4 minutes.
- Quickly add mussels, stir to begin to release juices and to coat with sauce, bring to a boil.
- Place lid on, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Check to see if mussels are open and stir.
- When all mussels have opened add remaining zest and juice. Stir to allow sauce to coat mussels.
- Discard any unopened mussels, lemon grass stalk, and the lime shells, squeezing out any remaining juices with tongs.
- Garnish each plate with cilantro/parsley and add toasted bread to soak up sauce.