Popeye special: Warm spinach salad with mussels
Try this for an easy light dinner. Mussels, like crabs, only net about 1/4 pound of "meat" per pound of the whole shellfish. A couple of pounds of mussels could run $10 at the fish market. If you do the math, the protein is much more expensive than other sources — but the mussels are really just a condiment in this salad. You don't need to eat a whole bunch of them. And they are delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mussels, debearded just before cooking
- 6 ounces of baby spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
- 2 to 3 teaspoons chopped garlic
- Large pinch crushed red chili flakes (two fingers and thumb's worth)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Tip: Peeling and chopping fresh ginger can be challenging. You can peel it with the edge of a bowl of a spoon then chop or simply use large holes on a box grater without peeling it. The skin sort of magically folds back.
Directions
- In a salad bowl, toss the spinach with the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.
- Steam the mussels in a large covered stockpot until they open — just a few minutes. I used a little dry white wine instead of water. After they are cool enough to handle, remove the mussels from their shells.
- Gently warm the olive oil in a small skillet.
- Add the mussels, ginger, garlic, and chilies. Saute until heated — just a minute or two.
- Add this to the spinach. It will wilt a little.
- Adjust seasoning and serve warm with crusty bread and beverage of choice.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Calories: 305
- Total fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
- Sodium: 485 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 11 g
- Dietary fiber: 3 g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 30 g