Guys! Pumpkin mussels. As in… pumpkin mussels! Where does she get these great ideas anyways? Alice is back with a great fall recipe that is a must try for your fall menu. Well, let’s be honest… anything Alice makes is a must try. Cause this girl is a genius in the kitchen!
Perfect for a chilly fall night or entertaining, Pumpkin Mussels highlight the fun flavors of fall using canned pumpkin and pumpkin beer.
As fall whips it’s chilly air and slow vibe into town, I dive head first into the pumpkin diet. I feel like Buddy te Elf with his candy food groups: candy, candy corn, candy canes and syrup. Although for me it’s all pumpkin.
I break the ice with a PSL. You know, PSL, that is the lingo now, you can’t say Pumpkin Spice Latte. You must refer to it as PSL. Yeah, we are fancy like that. Once I’ve moved from my pumpkin drink, I must have all things pumpkin for breakfast: Pumpkin Waffles and Pumpkin Monkey Bread. And lately I’m drinking Pumpkin Milkshakes and eating Pumpkin Lasagna. Pumpkin is versatile, and I’m flexible, I like it sweet or savory. So brace yourself. I’m adding it to seafood. Pumpkin mussels, to be exact.
I picked up my live mussels from the local seafood monger in St. Paul, Coastal Seafoods. Now when you are making seafood, you need to do some meal planning because you should buy your fresh seafood the day you plan to cook it. To prepare mussels for cooking, you want to store them in an open bag in your fridge, then before cooking rinse with cold water and remove any dirt or beards (black strings on the shell). Now you all know not to eat shellfish that has opened up, right? Warning, these mussels are out to trick you. I took mine out of the fridge and most of the shells had opened. I was worried that almost all the mussels had died. Instead, I kept them under cold water and they tucked right back into their shells.
The next day I called my fish monger to confirm that indeed these little mussels are minxes. Tricking you and seeing if you pass the cold water test. The fish monger confirmed, to give them a few minutes and he said most people aren’t as patient and then incidently toss them in the garbage. Don’t be like those people. Be a smart seafood cook, what do you say we toss these  Pumpkin Mussels in canned pumpkin and beer?
The yummy flavors of fall pair perfectly with these mussels. Get your bread toasted and buttery so you can dunk right in. This dish is perfect for date night or entertaining and serves two for dinner or four for an appetizer.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Sweet Onion chopped
- 4 TB Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 cup Pure Pumpkin
- 1 12 ounces Pumpkin Beer (I like New Belgium Pumpkick)
- 2 lbs Live Mussels in the shell
- 1 cup Cilantro leaves
- Serve with Buttery Toasted Bread
Instructions
- In a French oven pot, over medium heat, sauté the onion in butter.
- When onion is soft, add salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- Sauté for two additional minutes and then add the pure pumpkin and pumpkin beer.
- Scrub the mussels under cold water, wash off dirt and remove any beards (black strings on outside of shell) and discard any mussels that have not opened (if you have just taken the mussels out of the fridge, give them a few minutes to be under the cold water and close their shells).
- Place mussels in the pumpkin sauce and cook for 8 minutes with a lid on the pot.
- Serve with buttery toasted bread.
Notes
Store mussels cold (in your fridge) in an open bag.
Eat any leftovers within 24 hours.
