SPEEDY SUPPERS
‘Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!” So goes the old tune that made Molly Malone famous. It’s a reminder that these delicious little bivalves are living things, though it can be hard to equate them with life as we know it.
This St Patrick’s Day, I’ll be celebrating with mussels cooked in some delicious Irish Pale Ale. Mussels are our most abundant shellfish and they’re an inexpensive way to enjoy the fruits of our seas. Seek out Irish mussels in your local fishmongers. Mussels are among the most palatable of shellfish and are a good gateway to crustaceans. Not only are they affordable but their plumpness and pretty orange hue make them a feast for the eyes as well as for the belly.
If you want to learn more about mussels, you can put the Connemara Mussel Festival in your diary. It’s taking place from April 28-30 on the Renvyle Peninsula. Another great source of mussels inspiration is food writer Máirín Uí Chomáin’s cookbook Irish
Mussel Cuisine, inspired by the festival. You can buy a copy for €8 on the festival’s website at connemaramusselfestival.com.
Instead of going for a cream-based broth or a white wine base, I’m using Irish Pale Ale for these mussels and Cork-based Eight Degrees Brewing is one of the original and best breweries in the Irish craft beer movement. It says its Howling Gale Irish Pale Ale is so crisp and refreshing that it’s like “blitzing down the Ballyhouras on your bike with an icy wind in your face”. Yum.
I’ve paired these mussels with some toasted sourdough for mopping up the pale ale broth. You could make your own homemade chips if you wanted to do an Irish version of Moules Frites.
Happy St Patrick’s Day!