Minneapolis / St. Paul Food Blog

Courtesy of Barbette

​With it's eclectic charm and lack of pretension, Barbette has long been an Uptown fave. One of chef Sarah Master's most memorable dishes is the Red Curry Mussels--if you're looking to spice up your next gathering, venture away from the typical chips-and-salsa, and attempt this tasty appetizer.

For this recipe, you'll need:

1 stalk lemongrass
1 large shallot
1 knob of ginger
1/2 cup garlic cloves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 small can red curry
2 cans coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 lbs mussels (any variety)

To prepare:

Roughly chop the lemongrass, shallot, ginger and garlic. Sweat in vegetable oil until translucent.

Add coconut milk and cream. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.

Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half.

Strain and adjust seasoning with lime juice and salt.

Return to heat. Add two pounds of mussels and steam 4-5 minutes covered, until mussels have opened.

Serve with grilled bread to sop up the extra broth.

(If you're nervous about cooking with mussels, check out this YouTube video.  It's not as hard as it looks.)