SMOKED MUSSELS

SERVES 6

2 bunches samphire, sea beet, purslane or any other sea greens 1 tablespoon seaweed powder (see recipe)

70g butter

1kg mussels, cleaned and debearded, any open ones discarded 10-12 fennel twigs, roughly pencil sized

1 bunch thyme, dried and separated into 2 bundles

2 large handfuls hay, rolled into fist-sized balls

Get the barbecue good and hot. The mussels pop pretty quickly over the heat, so I prefer to cook them in two batches as my perforated barbecue frying pan only really accommodates 500g, or thereabouts, of shellfish at a time.

In a large saucepan of boiling water, blanch your chosen sea greens, about 30 seconds, then drop into a bowl of iced water to stop them cooking further. Once cool, drain and set aside.

Mix the seaweed powder into the butter in a metal bowl or roasting pan large enough to accommodate all the mussels. Melt the butter in the bowl over the barbecue and then set aside.

Huddle the mussels together in the perforated frying pan, much like nesting Emperor penguins. Place the fennel twigs and thyme on the barbecue followed by the hay. Put the pan directly over the smouldering bundle and immediately cover with the barbecue lid with the vents open, or with a cloche. The smoke will swirl around the mussels while the heat pops them open. The juices will spit and give a little flare up. When the mussels are open (discard any that don’t), tip them into the bowl or roasting pan and toss them in the seaweed butter. Throw in all of the sea greens at this point. Repeat the same process with the second batch of mussels then serve.

FOR THE SEAWEED POWDER 5 sheets nori

In a mini food processor, blitz the nori to a fine powder, or as fine as it will go. Pop it into an airtight container and keep in a dry place until needed (makes 10g). It lasts forever, so if you’ve made a ton it’s cool. Next time you’re making a lamb stew or fish broth add a tablespoon or two for a boost of umami.