Cornmeal-fried mussels

Name: Cornmeal-fried mussels
Ingredients: 500 g vacuum-packed mussels; 30 g cornmeal; 200 ml oil for frying; 1 lemon

Fish - Cornmeal-fried mussels by Demetra E. - Recipia

Cornmeal-fried mussels are served hot with lemon juice, and go well with mujdei, a Romanian garlic sauce, too. The centers stay tender under the golden crust, while the tart juice cuts through their salty taste; you can also bake them on parchment paper when you want to leave the frying pan aside. Preparation: 10 minutes. Cooking: 8-15 minutes. Total time: 18-25 minutes. Servings: 2. Approximately 550 kcal and 60 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

500 g vacuum-packed mussels
30 g cornmeal
200 ml oil for frying
1 lemon

Preparation

1. Drain the mussels from the container and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels. 2. Put the cornmeal on a plate and coat the mussels in it, shaking off the excess gently. 3. To fry, heat the oil in a pan to 175°C. Fry the mussels in two batches, 4 minutes each, until the cornmeal turns golden. Transfer them to paper towels. 4. For the oven version, place the mussels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 200°C for 12-15 minutes, until the cornmeal is browned. 5. Squeeze the lemon over the hot mussels and serve with mujdei, the Romanian garlic sauce, if you like.

Notes

Keep the fried mussels in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat them within 3 days; the crust softens as they sit. I choose mussels from the container that are as close in size as possible, so they brown at the same pace. If there’s a lot of liquid in the package, drain it well and pat the mussels dry before coating them in cornmeal, otherwise the crust won’t stick as well. Smaller pieces brown faster than larger ones, so keep an eye on the pan toward the end. The cornmeal should form a thin layer, with no damp clumps on the surface of the mussels. Serve them with mujdei and lemon wedges.