One of Jeff Black’s mentors, the renowned late chef Jean-Louis Palladin, was the inspiration for Addie’s mussels with his version of the Escoffier classic, moules marinières. Black’s tweaks include replacing fish fumet with poultry stock, which makes it taste like a seafood lover’s chicken soup, and the addition of canned tomatoes (in summer, you can use fresh ones peeled, seeded, and chopped). He gets his mussels from Prince Edward Island; they’re reliably good but at their sweetest and plumpest in winter months. You can buy them at BlackSalt’s seafood market or Whole Foods, where you can also find a good baguette. Whether you dress the bread up with garlic and butter or use it plain out of the bag, you’ll want it for soaking up extra broth.
Addie’s Mussels
Serves one as a main course, two as an appetizer
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Prince Edward Island mussels
2 tablespoons diced shallot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
½ cup chicken stock, or more to taste if the liquid reduces quickly
4 tablespoons butter
½ lemon, juiced, or more to taste
1 8-ounce can of whole tomatoes, juice discarded, cut into medium dice
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Clean the mussels under cold running water, removing beards with a pairing knife.
In a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, mussels, shallot, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Sauté until the mussels start to open and the shallot turns translucent, being careful not to burn the crushed red-pepper flakes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes and cover, cooking until the mussels open, about 5 to 6 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Once the mussels are cooked, finish with the butter, lemon juice, and parsley. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a French baguette.
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