Serve up a dish of Turkish-style barbecued mussels
The foundations of the perfect Turkish meal are herbs, spices and fresh produce, with a helping of good company thrown in as well. Born in Ankara, Sevtap Yüce is no stranger to the colourful cuisine of Turkey, which she shares in her latest cookbook, Turkish Fire. Taking you on a culinary journey through morning, noon and night, the book features a number of traditional recipes from simple street food to elaborate share dishes, such as this recipe for midye salatası, or barbecued mussels.
INGREDIENTS
2 dozen mussels
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup lemon juice
crusty bread, to serve
TO MAKE
Scrub the mussels and remove any hairy beards. Rinse the mussels in cold fresh water, then leave to drain in a colander.
Fire up your barbecue and bring it to a high heat.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves and salt together. Transfer to a non-metallic bowl, then add the parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix together to make a dressing. Set aside.
Place the mussels on the barbecue grill bars, over the flames. Once they have opened, which will take about three to five minutes, use a pair of tongs to take them off the barbecue and place them in a serving bowl, discarding any mussels that haven’t opened.
Pour the dressing over the hot mussels and serve with crusty bread.
Serves four.
Recipe and images from Turkish Fire by Sevtap Yüce. Published by Hardie Grant Books.
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