These boozy Irish whiskey mussels are inexpensive, easy to trash up with goodies, and extremely quick to make. Just add bread or some pasta and you’ve got a meal fit for a queen, king, or even an annoying little leprechaun who has no intention of sharing his pot o’ gold.
It’s finally the big day; are you wearing your green? I sure do hope so, because Brenna loves nothing more than nipping at those who ignore the tradition of donning green on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a little hard to pinch when you don’t have thumbs so she’s come up with her own way of expressing her disgust. Trust me, I’ve already received one hellacious nip this morning and it wasn’t pleasant. Although to be honest, it probably wouldn’t matter if I was wearing green or not, that lil’ brat would nip at me no matter what my choice of outfit was. Maybe she knows that at tonight’s St. Patrick’s Day happy hour gathering, lots of strangers will be in her house and that she’ll be on lockdown until they leave. Her attitude is truly wicked today.
When this month’s “Irish Fish & Seafood Recipes” theme was suggested by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen for March’s #FishFoodieFridays, I was super excited, not to mention a little confused. I had absolutely no idea what to make. Then I quickly told myself, “Girl, you got this. Just add a little Irish butter and whiskey; it doesn’t even matter what you add it to really.” I chose mussels, and aw lawdy am I ever glad that I did. For some reason, I don’t think to make mussels that often, which is really rather sad. They are inexpensive, easy to trash up with goodies, and extremely quick to make. Just add bread or some pasta and you’ve got a meal fit for a queen, king, or even an annoying little leprechaun who has no intention of sharing his pot o’ gold.
So, what will you make for dinner this St. Patrick’s Day? Will it be Maple Sugar Crockpot Corned Beef, Corned Beef Hash Rustic Pie, Corned Beef Pizza Swirls, Corned Beef “Hash”ed Potatoes, Candied Corned Beef Brisket, or will you skip the corned beef and head straight for these Drunken Irish Mussels, remembering that it is still Fish Friday after all? Today is my Lent cheat day, so I’ll be heading with haste straight for the corned beef. It’s always been one of my favorites and well worth having to whisper an extra prayer or two to God saying, “Sorry, I know I cheated, but dude, it’s corned beef, and besides, I ate mussels on Tuesday, that should count for something, right?” Somehow I think he’ll probably just shake his head and then calmly nudge Brenna to give me yet another little nip.
Ingredients:
- 6 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon
- 4 Teaspoons Irish Butter
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 1 Large Carrot, Chopped
- 3/4 Cup Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Large Tomato, Chopped
- 1 Bag of Mussels
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
Directions:
- Roughly chop the bacon and brown it in a large sauté pan over high heat until crispy.
- Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour or wipe out all but 1-tablespoon of the remaining bacon grease.
- Decrease the heat to medium and add the butter, onion, and carrot to the remaining bacon grease in the sauté pan; cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened.
- Add the whiskey to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high and stir the cream, tomato, and mussels into the sauté pan.
- Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until the mussels have opened.
- Pour onto a large platter or into a large serving bowl and then garnish with fresh parsley.
Suggestions:
- Before making this recipe, make sure to rinse and remove any residual beards that may remain on the mussels. You should also discard any mussels that fail to close.
- Make sure to toss any mussels that do not open after being cooked.
- Serve these mussels with a loaf of crusty bread or over cooked pasta.
Improvements:
- Add a clove or two of finely minced garlic to the mussels.
- Shrimp would be a great addition to this dish, however, you may need to steam them for a few minutes longer than the mussels depending on their size.
- If you would like to make this dish a little lighter, try replacing the heavy whipping cream with clam juice.
Ingredients:
- 6 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon
- 4 Teaspoons Irish Butter
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 1 Large Carrot, Chopped
- 3/4 Cup Jameson Irish Whiskey
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Large Tomato, Chopped
- 1 Bag of Mussels
- 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
Directions:
- Roughly chop the bacon and brown it in a large sauté pan over high heat until crispy.
- Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour or wipe out all but 1-tablespoon of the remaining bacon grease.
- Decrease the heat to medium and add the butter, onion, and carrot to the remaining bacon grease in the sauté pan; cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened.
- Add the whiskey to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Increase the heat to high and stir the cream, tomato, and mussels into the sauté pan.
- Cover and cook for 4 minutes or until the mussels have opened.
- Pour onto a large platter or into a large serving bowl and then garnish with fresh parsley.
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