Porthilly mussels, leeks, cider and clotted cream
Porthilly Shellfish, based at Porthilly on the Camel Estuary, grow mussels, oysters, clams and other seasonal produce from the estuary and coastline, including the ever-wonderful samphire, a seaweed-like vegetable, also known as glasswort, foraged at the muddy low tide.
30 MINUTES | SERVES 4-6 | EASY |
fresh live mussels 1kg
unsalted butter 50g
shallot 1 long, finely chopped
leek 1 medium, finely sliced
garlic 2 cloves, finely sliced
cider 300ml
clotted cream 4 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley 3 tbsp, chopped
Wash the mussels under cold running water and pull off and discard any wispy beards from the shells. Before cooking, make sure all the mussels are alive – discard any that have broken or cracked shells and any open ones that don’t close when tapped on a hard surface.
Melt the butter in a very large lidded pan over a medium heat and cook the shallot, leek and garlic for 5 minutes. Pour in the cider, bring to the boil, then add the mussels. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened. Discard any that are still closed after cooking.
Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon and divide among six warmed deep bowls. Return the pan to the heat, bring the cooking liquid to the boil and bubble for 2-3 minutes to reduce. Stir in the cream and parsley, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and pour over the mussels.
PER SERVING 235 kcals | fat 18.7G saturates 11.2G | carbs 2.8G | sugars 2.5G fibre 1.1G | protein 9.8G | salt 0.5G
Pentire Seaward, £26.80/70cl Botanical, nonalcoholic spirit made by distilling unique plants native to local headlands in North Cornwall. pentiredrinks.com
Cornish Sea Salt Flakes, 150g/£2.55 Harvested from Atlantic waters around the Lizard Peninsula, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. cornishseasalt.co.uk
Cornish Yarg, 900g/£18
A tangy but creamy, nettle-wrapped, semi-hard cheese. lynherdairies.co.uk
Verdant Lightbulb Extra Pale Ale, 6 x 440ml/£16.50 A summery juicy session ale from cult Cornish brewer Verdant. verdantbrewing.co