It doesn’t take much to get Ed to go to a museum with me, but I often pair a cultural visit with a lunch at Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia to sweeten the deal. It’s Belgian beer and food at its best. I learned this trick from my mother – she used to promise me chocolate cake after a museum visit. Little did she know that all of those museum visits (and pieces of cake) would lead to me studying art history in college.
We start off with a glass each of Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder on tap (at 8% ABV, I stick to one glass). Note that Pliny the Younger is the highly coveted small quantity brew that is hard to come by – although Monk’s has received a few kegs the past few years when it’s released. Then we peruse the menu to determine which mussels we are each going to order (no sharing here). They usually have five to six varieties. I’m pretty predictable and go for the Ghent since it has bleu cheese. Ed is much more likely to mix it up. They serve their mussels with some wonderful pommes frites. These thin ‘French fries’ are fresh cut and double fried and served with their famous Bourbon mayonnaise for dipping. I’ve tried to figure out the recipe for this mayo but it appears to be proprietary. Even if you don’t eat fries, it’s worth splurging for these.
When a trip to Monk’s isn’t in the cards, it’s nice to make some mussels at home. These mussels come together easily and can be served as an appetizer or main course. I recommend using a pale ale or pilsner for the cooking liquid. The spicy mayo can be made a day in advance and would also be tasty on a sandwich.
This dish can be served as an appetizer (serves 4) or main course (serves 2). Don’t forget to serve some bread on the side to sop up the beer broth. I like to serve my version of Healthy Pommes Frites along side these mussels, too. We dipped both the mussels and potatoes into the spicy mayo.
| Beer Mussels with Spicy Mayo | Print |
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 12 ounces light-colored beer (pale ale or pilsner)
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup lightly-packed tarragon leaves
- Bread for serving
- In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, and pepper.
- Refrigerate spicy mayo until ready to use. Can be made a day in advance.
- In a large Dutch oven (4 to 5 quarts) with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add shallots and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
- Add beer and bring to a boil.
- Stir in 4 tablespoons lemon juice, mustard and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt until smooth.
- Add mussels, cover, and cook, undisturbed, until the mussels open, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Uncover and using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a serving bowl and then pour the cooking liquid over top. (Or serve straight from the pot.)
- Sprinkle with basil and tarragon, and serve hot with the spicy mayo and bread on the side.
* Recipe can be doubled. Cook in a 7-quart Dutch oven.
Source: Variation on recipe from Saveur
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