{"id":151612,"date":"2016-09-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gracious-khorana.45-76-20-142.plesk.page\/localmex12016x109x1saison-beer-steamed-mussels-fennel-saffron-preserved-lemon-htmlx1\/"},"modified":"2023-06-26T18:37:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T18:37:31","slug":"saison-beer-steamed-mussels-fennel-saffron-preserved-lemon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/localmilkblog.com\/2016\/09\/saison-beer-steamed-mussels-fennel-saffron-preserved-lemon.html","title":{"rendered":"Saison Steamed Mussels + Fennel, Saffron, & Preserved Lemon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is last night\u2019s dinner, and the truth is I didn\u2019t want to share the recipe with you. It\u2019s so good I wanted to hoard it for the hypothetical cookbook I\u2019m not writing but rather have been procrastinating for 3 years. Despite having every opportunity to do so, I simply don\u2019t. I rationalized not doing it by saying I wanted to travel; that I didn\u2019t want to rush into it like many bloggers do and end up writing something mediocre or gimmicky that I wasn\u2019t proud of; that I needed time to know myself as a cook, photographer, and writer. And that was all true. Was. I think it\u2019s time I let good enough be good enough and just go for it. If I\u2019m not ready by now, I never will be. Still, I just couldn\u2019t keep these Saison beer steamed mussels to myself. And the photos here are an exercise in simply good enough as I learn to navigate blogging, working, retreats, and full time mothering all at the same time.<\/p>\n

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These\u00a0photos were shot and styled in about 15 minutes with the light absolutely dying on an ISO that was far too high while I was wearing an alternately sleeping\/nursing\/crying baby in a Solly wrap<\/a>, but the bottom line is I want to share more recipes here. And write a cookbook at the same time. That\u2019s going to mean less photos. I\u2019ll still do the whole 9 yards recipe shoots with process shots and the narrative of the dish because I enjoy that, but I\u2019m going to focus more on\u00a0shooting finished dishes and letting that be that. Try to up my food styling game. I think a lot of us bloggers get mired in a pile of props, and the food styling ends up playing second fiddle. I don\u2019t want to do that anymore, though my food styling will likely always be \u201crustic\u201d (read: messy). Doing less, strangely, takes a lot of self-control. I\u2019m verbose visually and verbally. Yet another of many flaws.<\/p>\n

So about this dish: PEI mussels are braised in a traditional farmhouse ale, a saison\u2014in this case Saison Dupont\u2014along with anise scented fennel (a nod to the classic\u00a0Pernod in mussels), preserved lemon (you can find my recipe for preserved lemons here!<\/a>), and a hint of saffron. And my secret weapon: humble celery & it\u2019s tender leaves. Celery is highly underrated, but I digress. The resultant broth is fragrant, bright, and positively\u00a0addictive when sopped up with toasted or grilled sourdough bread. This recipe is quick, easy, and one-pot without sacrificing any sophistication. If you want to be really classic, you can fry up some pomme frites, but I prefer bread.A little about saisons that I\u2019ve gleaned from my husband (who knows as much about beer as he does about coffee, which is to say a whole, whole lot): they\u2019re traditional Belgian & French ales typically brewed in the summer for the field workers. It\u2019s the most wide open style of beer, and they\u2019re usually heavy, yeast forward beers with fruity, spicy notes. Spices, herbs, and grains that are\u00a0local to the particular farm or just sound like a good idea can\u00a0be added: lavender, rye, saffron, lemon peel, barley, coriander, grains of paradise, star anise\u2026I could go on. That\u2019s\u00a0what made it perfect for this dish. Sure you could use a pale ale or even an I.P.A, but I think the saison can\u2019t be beat. I recommend serving it with a glass of the saison for full effect.<\/p>\n

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A few notes about mussels: make sure you remove the \u201cbeard\u201d (the scruffy little furry thing outside the shell) if they\u2019re still attached. Keep them cold, preferably on ice. And don\u2019t tie them up in a plastic bag, they\u2019re living and need to be able to breath or they\u2019ll spoil. Toss mussels that don\u2019t open after cooking; they\u2019re no good.<\/p>\n

PS! Our London Food, Photography, and Styling Retreat <\/a>is now open for registration! I\u2019ll be posting more about it when I post the recap of this past winter\u2019s UK Retreat in Surrey, but if you\u2019d like to check it out, you can find all the details on our retreat site<\/a>. In addition to the usual retreat tickets, there\u2019s an option to skip the \u201cretreat\u201d bit and just take the workshop classes (and still attend our two best meals!) as well as an option to not book accommodation with us in case you\u2019re local or have friends or family you\u2019d like to stay with! Find all the options in the drop down menu at the bottom of the retreat page.<\/p>\n

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