Coconut and Basil Steamed Mussels

From My Carolina Kitchen

2 teaspoons canola oil

¼ cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup light coconut milk

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth

About a 3” piece of fresh lemon grass, 1" of the root end crushed with a knife, optional

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

½ to 1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce

24 mussels, about 1 pound, scrubbed and de-bearded if necessary,

Slivered fresh basil leaves

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan and cook 2 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently to make sure neither burn. Shake the can of coconut milk well, then stir in along with the milk, water, broth, lemon grass, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and Sriracha and bring to a boil. Add the mussels to the pan, cover and cook 5 minutes or until shells open.

Remove mussels from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve the broth mixture. Remove lemongrass and discard. When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove some of them from their shells and save a few with shells for presentation. Throw away any mussels that did not open. Bring broth to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Divide the mussels between 2 serving bowls. Pour 1 cup of hot broth over each serving. Sprinkle with slivered fresh basil and serve right away. Nice with crusty bread for dipping or serve with scallion rice, recipe below.

Scallion rice

Combine 1 cup water, 1/2 cup jasmine rice, 1 teaspoon butter, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 thinly sliced green onion in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Adapted from Cooking Light – serves 2