THAI MUSSEL FRITTERS
Ready in 30 mins Makes about 24 medium fritters
24 live mussels in their shells ½ cup dry white wine or water 1½ cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
2 tsp Thai curry paste
1 cup chilled water or soda water 2 Tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce Zest of 1 lime, finely grated
½ tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves 2-3 Tbsp neutral oil, to cook
Scrub mussel shells and remove their beards. Discard any mussels that do not close. Place in a large pot and add wine or water. Cover and cook over high heat until the shells open (3-5 minutes). Discard any that do not open. Leave to cool. While mussels cook, prepare the batter. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, eggs, curry paste, chilled water or soda water, Thai sweet chili sauce, lime zest, salt and ground black pepper, beating to make a smooth batter. Remove mussels from their shells and chop them into small pieces (½ -1cm). Stir into batter with chopped coriander. Heat a little of the oil in a frying pan and fry fritters in batches over medium heat until cooked through (about 3-4 minutes each side, turning to cook the other side as bubbles form). Transfer to a rack and lightly re-oil pan between batches. Cooked fritters can be chilled for up to 12 hours and reheated in a hot oven for 5-6 minutes.
Annabel says: Adding aromatics is a simple way to transform fritters from the everyday. This batter base also works well with cockles (prepare as for mussels), raw minced paua or diced fresh fish. Serve accompanied by avocado mashed with a little lemon juice and salt, or serve with Thai sweet chilli sauce.