mussels

Lazy Braised Mussels / Dagnje na lijenu buzaru

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , , 2 Comments

This recipe is really great for hot summer days, as it comes together super quickly which means minimal time sweating next to your hot stove. I’m personally a big fan of mussels, but definitely not a fan of scrubbing their shells clean and getting rid of all the seaweed. But frozen cleaned mussels enter the stage here and make life immensely easier.

To make this recipe even tastier with more complex flavors, sub the water with white wine. We were out of wine however, so water was also fine.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 2 generous servings / 1.57 EUR per serving / 3.14 EUR for all)

2 tbsp olive oil (0.09 EUR)

1 onion (0.10 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.13 EUR)

1 bay leaf (0.03 EUR)

Pinch of dried rosemary (0.02 EUR)

2 tbsp butter (0.27 EUR)

1 tbsp tomato paste (0.13 EUR)

250 grams cleaned frozen mussels, thawed (2.00 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Good pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.02 EUR)

1 tsp dried parsley (0.07 EUR)

¼ cup water (–)

Juice of a lemon (0.27 EUR)

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METHOD:

Rinse the thawed mussels in a colander under cold water and leave to drain. In the meantime, finely dice the onion and mince garlic. Add olive oil, onion and garlic to a skillet on medium heat and saute for a few minutes until slightly translucent. Add in bay leaf, rosemary, butter, tomato paste, mussels, salt, pepper and parsley and give it a toss. Add a bit of water (or wine, if using) and allow it all to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle generously with lemon juice. Serve immediately with pasta, rice or with nice crusty bread.

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Recept u nastavku je savršen za vruće ljetne dane, pošto je gotov za tili čas što znači minimalno znojenje za vrućim štednjakom. Osobno sam veliki ljubitelj dagnji, ali nisam nikakao ljubitelj procedure ribanja i čišćenja njihovih ljuštura. Srećom, kao spas ovdje dolaze zamrznute očišćene dagnje.

Da bi ovaj recept bio još ukusniji i sa kompleksnijim aromama, umjesto vode upotrijebite bijelo vino. Mi ga nismo imali doma, tako da je i voda poslužila svrsi i sve je ispalo dobro.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 2 izdašne porcije / 11,71 kn po porciji / 23,42 za sve)

2 žlice maslinovog ulja (0,66 kn)

1 luk (0,75 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (1,00 kn)

1 lovorov list (0,20 kn)

Prstohvat sušenog ružmarina (0,15 kn)

2 žlice maslaca (2,00 kn)

1 žlica koncentrata od rajčice (1,00 kn)

250 grama očišćenih smrznutih dagnji, odmrznutih (15,00 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Dobar prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,15 kn)

1 žlica sušenog peršina (0,50 kn)

¼ šalice vode (–)

Sok od 1 limuna (2,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Odmrznute dagnje isperite u cjediljci pod mlazom hladne vode i pustite ih da se ocijede. U međuvremenu fino nasjeckajte luk i češnjak. Maslinovo ulje, luk i češnjak stavite u tavu na srednje jaku vatru i dinstajte par minuta da zamiriše i omekšaju. Dodajte lovor, ružmarin, maslac, koncentrat rajčice, dagnje, sol, papar i peršin, pa sve dobro promiješajte. Podlijte sa malo vode (ili vina, ako ga koristite), pa pustite da se lagano krčka 5-10 minuta. Maknite s vatre i zalijte sa limunovim sokom. Poslužite odmah sa tjesteninom, rižom ili komadom finog hrskavog kruha.

Lazy Braised Mussels / Dagnje na lijenu buzaru

Fried Mussels / Pržene dagnje

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , Leave a comment

Since Lent season is still ongoing, I’m looking for interesting ways to prepare more seafood. I’ve also had luck to score some mussels on sale and decided to fry them up. Admittedly, this did turn out to be a bit more work than what I’ve expected. However, the mussels were also very tasty, so the tradeoff was good.

If you happen to have an air fryer, the whole frying ordeal is going to be immensely easier and the final result way healthier.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 2 servings / 1.61 EUR per serving / 3.22 EUR for all)

250 grams cleaned frozen mussels, thawed (2.00 EUR)

For the batter:

1 egg (0.20 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Good pinch of freshly ground black pepper (0.02 EUR)

4 tbsp all-purpose flour (0.03 EUR)

1 tbsp corn starch (0.01 EUR)

2-3 tbsp cold water (–)

For prepping and serving:

2 cups neutral oil, for frying (0.67 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

1 lemon, sliced into wedges (0.27 EUR)

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METHOD:

Rinse the thawed mussels in a colander under cold water. Leave to drain, then gently pat dry with a kitchen towel. Prepare the batter by whisking together the egg, salt, pepper, flour and corn starch. Gradually add in water, a tablespoon at the time until the batter is around thicker pancake batter consistency.

Place a deep medium sized pot with oil on medium-high heat and allow the oil to warm up. You can test the oil temperature by adding a drop of batter – it should start sizzling immediately. Dunk the mussels into the batter, then carefully transfer to the oil, one at a time. I found that this was easiest to do with chopsticks. I also fried the mussels up in 3-4 smaller batches, so I don’t overcrowd the pot. Fry for about 5 minutes, until nicely golden-brown.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the fried mussels to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Immediately sprinkle with good amount of salt and serve right away with lemon wedges.

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Pošto smo još uvijek u korizmi, trudim se pronaći neke zanimljive recepte za morske plodove. Također, imala sam sreću pa sam naletjela na dagnje koje su bile na sniženju te sam ih odlučila ispržiti. Priznajem, na kraju je to ispalo više posla nego što sam očekivala, ali dagnje su bile stvarno ukusne, pa mislim da se trud isplatio.

Ako slučajno imate airfryer fritezu, cijeli postupak će biti puno jednostavniji, a konačno jelo i značajno zdravije.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 2 porcije / 11,98 kn po porciji / 23,97 za sve)

250 grama očišćenih smrznutih dagnji, odmrznutih (15,00 kn)

Za smjesu za prženje:

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Dobar prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,15 kn)

4 žlice glatkog brašna (0,20 kn)

1 žlica kukuruznog škroba (0,10 kn)

2-3 žlice hladne vode (–)

Za pripremu i posluživanje:

2 šalice neutralnog ulja za prženje (5,00 kn)

Dobar prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

1 limun, narezan na kriške (2,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Odmrznute dagnje isperite u cjediljci pod mlazom hladne vode. Ostavite da se dobro ocijede, pa ih onda lagano posušite papirnatim ručnikom. Smjesu pripremite tako da razmutite jaja, sol, papar, brašno i kukuruzni škrob. Postepeno dodajte vodu, jednu po jednu žlicu, dok ne dobijete konzistenciju gušće smjese za palačinke.

Duboki lonac sa uljem srednje veličine stavite na srednje jaku vatru i pustite da se ulje dobro ugrije. Temperaturu možete testirati tako da u ulje kapnete mrvicu smjese, koja bi odmah trebala zacvrčiti. Dagnje umačite u smjesu, pa jednu po jednu pažljivo spuštajte u ulje. Meni je to najlakše bilo za napraviti sa kineskim štapićima. Također, dagnje sam ispržila u 3-4 manje ture kako ih u isto vrijeme ne bi bilo previše u loncu. Pržite dagnje oko pet minuta, dok ne dobiju lijepu zlatno-smeđu boju.

Pržene dagnje ocijedite i stavite na tanjur obložen papirnatim ručnikom koji će upiti višak masnoće. Odmah dobro posolite i poslužite čim prije sa kriškama limuna.

Fried Mussels / Pržene dagnje