Mussels in sake broth

With Château du Cléray Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie, 2020

This Muscadet goes brilliantly with the saltiness and the seafood flavour of this dish.

Mussels in sake broth

Ingredients:

• 1kg fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded

• Half onion, finely diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• 250ml of sake

• 250ml of water

• 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce

• 15ml mirin

• 1 large knob of unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

• 1 spring onion, sliced, for garnish

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Methods:

1. Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven in medium heat, add the olive oil and melt the knob of butter. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes

2. Add the sake, soy sauce, and mirin to the pan and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let the broth simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add a generous pinch of rock salt and few turns of pepper to the broth. Add the mussels to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes max, or until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that do not open

4. Stir in the mirin and spring onions. Add more salt and pepper if needed

5. Serve the mussels in bowls with the broth, making sure to ladle some of the broth over the top of each serving

Tips:

• How to clean mussels:

  • Soak the mussels in cold water with 2 tablespoons of salt for 30 - 60mins until they release sands. Rinse in cold water. Repeat the process 1-2 times

  • Use a clean toothbrush to clean the shells and a small sharp knife to remove any small shells on the mussel shells

Wine pairing:

This is a dish with delicate flavours. Mussels have seaweeds and briny flavour with a hint of the sea. Cooking them in sake brings out the sweetness in the mussels, balancing the umami seaweeds and briny flavours.

To pair this dish, I have chosen a Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie 2021. This is a light white wine with high acidity made from melon blanc grapes. It has green apple and citrus flavours. It also has a hint of saltiness and mineral flavour. This goes brilliantly with the saltiness and the seafood flavour of this dish. The word “sur lie” means that yeasts were stirred into the dish during the wine making process, giving it a creamy texture, which works perfectly with the umami seaweed taste of this dish.