Coconut-Curry Mussels

Ingredients

• 30 ounce coconut milk canned
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce 
• 1 cup cilantro leaves fresh chopped
• 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons ginger peeled chopped
• 0.3 cup curry paste green
• 2 stalks lemongrass 
• 4  limes halved
• 6 pounds mussels scrubbed
• 2 medium onions red thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil 

Equipment

• knife
• pot

Directions

1. Trim the lemongrass, leaving 6 inches at the root end; discard the tops. Smash the stalks with the flat side of a knife and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in each of 2 large pots over medium-high heat.
3. Add 1 sliced onion to each and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.
4. Add half each of the garlic, lemongrass, ginger and curry paste to each pot and cook, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes.
5. Add 1 can coconut milk, 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1/4 cup water to each pot and bring to a simmer. Divide the mussels between the pots; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mussels open, about 8 minutes. (Discard any that do not open.)
6. Add the juice of 2 limes to each pot, then add the lime halves. Stir 1/2 cup cilantro into each.
7. Serve with bread, if desired.
8. Photograph by Anna Williams