Did you know mussels can be made in a slow cooker?!? I guess it's kind of obvious when I think about it, but when I saw this tip while watching Food Network awhile ago my mind was blown.
I rarely use my slow cooker anymore, but every time I do I am thankful I have one and am always left wondering why I don't use it more often. But then I remember why, and that is because using a slow cooker requires some kind of planning in advance. Yeahhhh. Something I'm not the best at.
A couple of weekend's ago I had the very exciting opportunity to lead my first food photography and styling workshop! A company located up in North Austin was hosting a training weekend for dietitians and they asked me to come speak and do a food styling demo. I was so excited/nervous!
It went really well! Although, there was a slight unprofessional and amateur hiccup where the powerpoint I made didn't work right, but I'll skip over those details and am happy to say I was able to pull it off in the end! Everyone really enjoyed the hands on food styling demo anyways. Working from home and creating content endlessly for work as well as for this space can be isolating sometimes, so it was very refreshing to be around people and to get the confirmation that maybe, just maybe I am actually on the right path!
In other news, Scout outgrew her baby collar last week (!!) and we had to upgrade her crate from puppy size to adult-sized. I can't believe how fast she is growing. Sibbie and her are getting along really well too. I often find them sleeping side by side throughout the day or doing gross things like licking the inside of each others' ears.
Anywho, these mussels come together in a pinch. They could be served as an appetizer or as a dinner option. I love how flavorful the broth/sauce is that comes with it. Make sure to dip the garlic bread in it too!
Slow Cooker Thai Red Curry Mussels with Sriracha Garlic Bread
serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 2 tbl Thai red curry paste
- 1 shallot, sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, smashed with a knife to release flavor
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbl brown sugar
- 1 cup coconut milk
- juice of 1 lime
- 16 oz mussels (I used frozen. If you use fresh be sure to scrub and clean them beforehand)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
for the sriracha garlic bread
- 1 baguette
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, diced
- Small bunch of chives, diced
- 2 tsp sriracha (adding more or less to taste)
Directions
Add the curry paste, shallot, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, stock, and brown sugar into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice, then add in the mussels. Cover and cook an additional 15-20 minutes (if using frozen mussels, it may need a little longer), or until the mussels have opened. Remove any unopened mussels. Stir in cilantro, and ladle mussels into bowls with both.
for the garlic bread: Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine melted butter, scallions, chives, and sriracha in a small bowl. Spoon liberally onto each half of baguette. Bake bread open faced for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
