A trio of mussels from La Fosse at Cranborne

Award-winning chef Mark Hartstone from La Fosse at Cranborne brings us another of his wonderful recipes, this time for a trio of mussels. Mussels are a fantastic ingredient as they require little to no preparation, and cook exceedingly quickly. Moules frites the French fast food staple is a substantial meal though hardly a romantic gourmet dinner. A trio however of the simple mollusc is a tantalising tapas treat. Hot smoking accentuates the flavour, soused gives a piquant hit, whilst a cocktail provides a comforting and nostalgic 70s influenced component to the dish.

To prepare;

Simply rinse in running water Remove any attached seaweed/rope remnants, barnacles and grit Discard any open/broken shells that do not shut when tapped brusquely Use fresh mussels from a reputable source When foraging for them be sure of the water quality and coastal environment Cooking till fully open is the golden rule Bin any that remain closed If there are a significant amount wasted, return to your supplier or look elsewhere!

Use the above rules and you won't go wrong!

Soused mussels

Mussels are per portion, the cooking liquor is sufficient for up to 6 portions

Ingredients

• Handful of mussels
• 500ml apple juice
• 100ml olive/rapeseed oil
• 80ml lemon juice or cider vinegar
• 2 chopped spring onions
• 1/2 chopped carrot
• 1 star anise
• 5 coriander seeds
• 5 pepper corns

To souse the mussels they need to be cooked in an acidic stock, either citrus based or best a good cider vinegar, depending on your taste. Once cooked de-shell and chill quickly in the liquor. Flavour improves over night. Serve on a little bed of leaves dressed in the juices.

Mussel Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1 handful of mussels per person
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Somerset cider brandy
• 200ml cider or apple juice reduced till a thick syrup

Garnish for cocktail

• 10g Mizuna salad leaves
• 3 slices cucumber

The cocktail requires the mussels to be cooked and served in a mayonnaise based sauce, over luscious leaves or cucumber. A traditional marie rose is always enjoyable however an apple juice reduction instead of the tomato paste with a dash of cider brandy can give a great taste of the orchard.

Smoked Mussels

Ingredients

• Handful of mussels per person
• 80g fruit wood shavings

To hot smoke, an enclosed vessel to go on the stove with a grill to keep the food off the smoking saw dust is required. A Heath Robinson foil affair does work well, though a Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker would look good in the best of designer kitchens. The heat from the stove will make the sawdust in the dish smoke (flavour of a fruit wood works the best). The enclosure bakes, steams and smokes the molluscs all at the same time. Have the occasional peak to ensure that most have opened and serve immediately. Hot smoking mussels takes barely a handful of minutes, so have everything else ready on the plate and the Chablis poured (a west country cider goes down equally well)!