Yep we’re back in the category of mollusks.  And seriously, who wouldn’t want to eat this —>>

Kidding.  I’m a kidder.

There are two ideas that I (and I dare say most) have always held regarding mussels:

1.  Steaming them in wine will always produce a better flavor.

2.  Cheese has no place anywhere near shellfish, especially mollusks.

You know what?  Ditch the wine and slather the little fuckers in cheese!  Hehe ok maybe not slather, as it’s surprisingly challenging to slather crumbled feta.

But as Jas was speaking of making Huevos Rancheros this morning it sparked a question in me..  why not mussels rancheros-ish?  You rarely hear of cumin used in steaming mussels, and if it’s present it’s as a supplement to a thai recipe.  But why?

So an experiment took place this morning..  and some mussels were steamed in sauteed red onion, jalapeno, garlic, diced tomatoes, cumin, and chicken broth-  finished with cilantro, green onion, and crumbled feta.

So back to the wine, and then I’ll get to the part about my pallet being exquisitely lit up like Christmas in Times Square.

I didn’t miss it.  I know that statement must seem shocking to those who have known me for more than 5 minutes, and I’m certainly not saying steaming in wine doesn’t add a certain tang, especially in conjunction with butter and succulent exuded mollusk juices…  but did find in using broth that those very juices pack way more of a flavor punch than I ever realized, and were masked by that very wine tang we all look for.

I will also say I don’t think all kinds of cheese would work since they’d be overpowering, but ironically the feta added back some of the “wine tang” without diminishing the natural flavor of the mussels.  So how about them sweet apples.

Combined, the flavors complimented the mussels sooooooo well- and made for a massively kickass bread-sloshing dipping sauce, which let’s face it, is half the reason to make/order mussels in the first place.

And makes me wonder if mussels would be good on nachos with melted cheddar cheese and jalapenos…?