In the March 20th, 2025 episode of the In My Kitchen with Paula podcast show, I spoke about these grilled mussels our wonderful Katy would make when I lived in New Zealand.
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I have fond memories of eating these mussels at our beach house in Kerikeri. Katy was an amazing cook that could make any thing delicious, especially if it came from the sea.
Katy didn't measure her ingredients, and you don't really need to. But for those who prefer to have a recipe to follow, I have used a recipe from Claire Aldous as inspiration and changed it to be in align with Katy's ingredients.
Ingredients
24 mussels (washed and beards removed)
Olive oil for drizzling plus 3 Tbsp
1 ¼ C breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper (or a pinch of chili flakes)
Put the clean mussels in a large pot with about ¼ C of water. Cook over a high heat and remove to a plate as they open. Discard any that don’t open.
When cool remove the top shell, dislodge the mussel and check for any tiny crabs. Move mussel to top shell (it is bigger and easier to eat from). Place mussels on a baking sheet. Continue to cook immediately.
Combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley and salt and pepper (or chili). In a separate small bowl combine the 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and mix well, add to the breadcrumb mixture and stir well. You can also add a little bit of the “juice” from the pot so you end up with damp breadcrumb mixture.
Pre-heat oven grill to its highest setting. Place a spoonful of crumb mixture over each mussel and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil. Place under the grill for 1-2 minutes unti the crumbs are golden. Serve immediately.
