Serves 4
2 kg of mussels
100 grams of butter
175 grams of flour
200 grams of leek
200 grams of scallions
150 grams of red peppers
1 clove of garlic
600 ml of the mussel cooking liquid
600 ml of whole milk
100 ml of heavy cream
1 cayenne pepper
salt
olive oil
For Breading:
2 eggs
200 grams of bread crumbs
100 grams of flour
Begin by blanching the mussels in boiling water for 15 seconds, then remove them and open each shell carefully with a knife and remove the meat. Reserve the meat and the cooking liquid and save the shells for your final presentation. Next, finely dice the scallion, red pepper, garlic, leek, and the mussels. In a pot over low heat, melt the butter and add the diced vegetables, the cayenne chili pepper, and mussels, cooking until the vegetables are soft. Next, add the flour to form a roux and cook the flour for 15 minutes on low heat before adding the water and milk, whisking to avoid lumps. Cook the mixture for another 30 minutes until the “dough” lifts away from the sides of the pot. Finally, add the cream, stir to combine, and taste the mixture, adding salt if necessary. Pour the mixture into a tray and cover it with parchment paper, allowing it to cool completely. To serve, form the cold mixture into 30 gram balls and bread them in a 3-stage process of flour, egg, then bread crumbs. Fry the balls in very hot oil and allow them drain on a paper towel before serving them, one ball in each of the clean mussel shells.
