Ingredients
For the mussels:
- 1 leek, cut in half lengthways and thinly sliced
- ½ lemon
- 100ml white wine
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 1kg cleaned mussels
For the sauce:
- 50g butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 150ml white wine
- 250ml strained stock from the cooked mussels
- 250ml double cream
- 50ml whiskey
- 2 leeks, sliced thickly at an angle
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley (Plus 1 small handful of tendril pea shoots as garnish)
Method
For the mussels:
- Clean and de-beard the mussels (if any mussels are opened, tap them lightly on a hard surface and if they don’t close, discard them)
- Heat a little olive oil in a large pan until hot, then add all the ingredients in, stir well and cover with a lid
- Allow them to steam on a medium high heat for 3 minutes, or until the mussels have fully opened
- Strain the mussels through a sieve, keeping the liquid aside for the sauce
- Discard any unopened mussels and keep the remainder refrigerated until needed
For the sauce:
- Melt the butter in a pan large enough to hold the mussels, then add the garlic and shallot
- Cook on a low heat until softened but not browned
- Add the wine and the stock from the mussels, then reduce by a ¼ of the original volume
- Add the cream and reduce by half
- Meanwhile, in a new small frying pan, fry the sliced leek in a little olive oil until browned, trying to keep them whole
- Keep the leeks warm until needed
- Add the whiskey and the mussels to the sauce and heat until the mussels are fully reheated
- Finish with the chopped parsley and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
Arrange the mussels into bowls, topped with the browned leek and tendril pea shoots