Beer and Bacon Mussels

My husband and I love mussels. If it's on the menu we order it. But in my experience mussels are most commonly served in a tomato or white wine based sauce. The following recipe is my deliberate choice to create something different. Enjoy.


1/2lb Mussels
2 slices bacon, lardon (thinly sliced)
1 shallot, brunoise (3mm cubes....aka very small)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp butter
6oz wheat beer
1 orange

• Rinse mussels, trimming off any beards.
• Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped. Set aside.
• In a small sauté pan, render* bacon.
  
• Deglaze** the pan with a bit of the beer and set aside.
• In large shallow Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat and sweat*** off the shallot and then the garlic. Season with salt and pepper.Squeeze juice from ½ the orange and zest the peel into the pan. Add beer and bring to boil. Add mussels and bacon (including the liquid from deglazing), reduce heat, cover and simmer until mussels open (about 10 minutes). Discard any that do not open. Place the other ½ of the orange in the centre of a bowl and plate the mussels around it.

Serve with a chunk of crusty bread for dipping.

*Render- cooking to reduce the fat content.
**Deglaze- a method of removing cooked particles of food and fat from the bottom of a pot or pan for the purpose of adding flavour to a sauce.
***Sweat- cooking lightly without browning. Using salt helps to promote sweating because it draws out moisture.