Mussels are a regular Friday night treat for us and this sauce with Thai spices and coconut milk is really delicious. As ever, you will need lots of crusty bread.
Wine Suggestion: We really like matching Thai curries with Riesling, especially if there’s a touch of residual sugar. Unusually for the Clare Valley (which is typically bone dry) Pikes Hills & Valleys Riesling has about 9 grams of residual sugar which makes this fruity, rather than sweet. We had a bottle a few years old which accentuated the lime and lifted aromas and made a wonderful match.
Thai spiced mussels – serves 2
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 20g ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 kg mussels, cleaned and debearded (chuck any that don’t close after a sharp tap)
- 1 lime, juiced
- a handful of Thai basil leaves
- crusty bread, to serve
Heat the coconut oil in a large casserole or heavy saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and ginger and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the turmeric and coriander and cook for another minute, then add the curry paste and tomato puree and cook for a minute more.
Add the coconut milk and brown sugar, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the cleaned mussels, then turn up the heat, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until all the mussels have opened (chuck any that don’t open).
Stir the mussels through the sauce, then add the lime juice and tear in the Thai basil leaves. Serve with lots of crusty bread.
(Original recipe by Georgina Hayden in The Guardian, 11 Feb 2025)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 
