Fried Mussels Skewers

-and a post about the recipes we forget-

 

I sometimes discover forgotten pieces of paper with recipes written on them; in my old bags, among the pages of a half-finished book, in the back of a drawer… The pleasant surprise of those small discoveries, is always followed by a reverie, trying to remember when and why did I write down this recipe: it can be a recipe that I asked a friend to give me after a nice dinner, something I liked and cut from a magazine or quick notes watching a culinary TV show.

Each one of us has a very personal way to organize recipes. For me, the hand-written papers and the random bookmarks on my browser are the start; the best of them make it to a tin recipe box or to the multiple subfolders of a gigantic bookmarked folder and, to honor the Monica Geller in me, the crème de la crème of those recipes will make it to my fancy recipes notebook, which is actually a thick paper lined notebook where I only write in pencil.

But still, although I love the idea of continuance that most recipes carry; the fact that a recipe can make us part of a big chain of people cooking the same ingredients with the same way to offer something nice to our loved ones; the truth is, most of the recipes I save, I never manage to cook them. Recipes that just like linen tablecloths, fine china and sparkling jewelry, are waiting for a special occasion to come to life and they stay forgotten in drawers and boxes.

Recipes are nothing but the promise of a feast, full of sentiments that we cook to recreate. I came across with one of my forgotten recipes the other day. It was a recipe I had asked a very dear friend -a cook-  to give me some years ago, in Ikaria. I remembered how delicious this recipe was, the serene face of the cook, the anticipation as we were waiting to be served, the joy I and my friends felt when we tasted its flavor for the first time, accompanied by a cool glass of Dolyxi, the delicate local ouzo.

It is a recipe for fried mussels served on a stick, really easy to make and very tasty. I decided that it had stayed in a waiting room for too long; it was time to make it: Clean Monday was the perfect occasion, but I was determined to cook it even on a regular Monday. I am glad I did, because it was a success; the mussels were soft yet crunchy, aromatic and so light that everyone liked it, I was even asked for the recipe! So, there you go, another recipe’s mission accomplished 😉 I hope that you will find the time to try it too and that you will like it. Here you go:

 

Battered Fried Mussels skewers

By Michalis Plytas | sta perix, Ikaria

 

500 grams of mussels without the shells

1 can of beer

All-purpose flour, about 2 cups

8 grams of instant dry yeast

A pinch of sugar

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons turmeric (you can adjust according to your preference)

Olive oil for frying

 

Prepare the batter by putting the beer in a bowl and gradually adding flour until you have a thick batter. Add the yeast, sugar, salt, turmeric and mix well until the batter becomes smooth. Let it stand for 20 minutes.

Dip each mussel in the batter and thread onto the skewers.

Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the mussel skewers until they become golden and crispy. Remove them from the fire and place them on kitchen paper to dry. Sprinkle with a little salt and serve hot.

You can accompany the mussels with a rich garlicky skordalia. You can see a delicious skordalia and a batter variation here.

 

p.s. How do you organize your recipes? Do you also have recipes waiting for special occasions? 

 

photos by christos drazos

words by maria alipranti