Jingle shells: How PEI mussels feed the holiday crowd

The holidays are upon us once more and along with office parties and caroling, the season also brings the joy of entertaining and feeding a crowd at home. While it may sometimes seem daunting to feed larger numbers of friends and family that may grace your home, the Canadian Mussel Industry Council has some delicious meal ideas for serving to all of your loved ones this season.

Fresh Prince Edward Island mussels are a tasty choice for feeding a crowd at this time of year. Nothing could be simpler than putting on a 10-pound bag of mussels to steam - they are delicious and they'll impress even your most discerning guests. There's something about the flavor and hearty nature of mussels that really hits the festive spot perfectly.

Why not try mussels with sundried tomatoes to feed the crowd at your next holiday gathering? This is a meal that will easily feed 12 as an appetizer or six as a main course, but yet it's quick to prepare and serve. You can have this meal on the table in 15 minutes, perfect for those occasions when guests arrive unannounced.

Fresh mussels will keep for several days in the refrigerator, so you can buy them in advance and be ready for those evenings when you can expect a few guests. The great thing about these recipes is that they can easily be doubled up, or more, so that when a real crowd is on hand you're able to ensure no one leaves hungry.

While it's likely a crowd will arrive on your doorstep all at once, over the holidays you can also expect that people will arrive in waves, coming and going throughout an evening. To feed a smaller crowd that trickles in and out it's even easier to be prepared.

A recipe for marinated mussels is perfect for this situation. Designed to feed eight as an appetizer, this recipe can easily be doubled, but better yet you can make it in advance and leave it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it to your guests. Make them ahead and impress the whole night through. It doesn't get any better than that.

The Canadian Mussel Industry Council website at www.discovermussels.com is home to recipes to entertain your friends and family throughout the holiday and the whole year through.

Mussels with sundried tomatoes
Number of servings: 6
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
6 pounds fresh PEI mussels
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 green onions, light green and white part only, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, outer layer removed, bulb thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced sundried tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
juice and zest of 1 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions
Rinse fresh PEI mussels in tap water. Tap any mussels that are still open and discard any that do not close after being rinsed and tapped. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add green onions, fennel and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add sundried tomatoes and stir well to coat. Add wine and mussels, stir gently, then cover. Leave mussels to steam for 5-7 minutes, until mussels are open. Discard any mussels that are not open. Remove mussels with a slotted spoon and set aside in a serving bowl. To the vegetables add cream, capers, lemon juice and zest, sea salt and black pepper, to taste. Give this a good stir and then pour over the mussels. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Marinated mussels

Number of servings: 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

6 pounds fresh PEI mussels
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small hot pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup shallots or green onions, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Marinade
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 dash black pepper

Instructions
Rinse fresh PEI mussels in tap water. Tap any mussels that are still open and discard any that do not close after being rinsed and tapped. Set aside. Place all ingredients (not the marinade ingredients) in a large sauce pan with a lid and steam for 5 to 7 minutes until fresh blue mussels are steamed open (about 3 minutes). Remove mussels, discarding any that do not open. When cool, shuck mussels and place meats in a large serving dish. Combine above marinade ingredients in an air-tight container and shake vigorously to blend. Pour over fresh blue mussels. Refrigerate until ready to use.