Mussel Mania…

If you are a mad seafood lover like myself, then let me introduce you to Harry the Mussel Man…he is bound to be your new best friend!

After a gloomy start to what seems to be a standard summers day in Melbourne, the sun finally decided to peek above the clouds, shining some light on the delicious treasures found on the Flinders pier…

Hearing only great things about these fresh little gems, we made our way down in the late afternoon expecting to find a stall in the car park offloading the daily catch…However as we moseyed on down the pier I spotted a little fishing boat bobbing in the ocean displaying that infamous mussels sign!

Harry sells these suckers every Saturday from 11am – 4.30pm (don’t be suprised if you have to wake him from his nap on the pier to purchase your goods!) With the season running from Christmas right through until the chilly month of June and @ just $10 a kilo how could you  possibly resist?!

This mussel guru is full of brilliant cooking ideas, sharing his knowledge and begging us not to throw away any that don’t open (like you usually would). These babies are ‘live’, as fresh as they come….and absolutely impossible to be off!

Luke was on cooking duties and came through with the goods serving up an amazing feast using a Jamie Oliver recipe…I highly recommend giving these Vodka Mussels a try, they were delish…!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 300ml Passata
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 3 heaped teaspoons of jarred horseradish
• 1 fresh red chilli to taste
• 1/2 head of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Splash of port
• A good splash of vodka
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 kg of mussels, cleaned & de-bearded
• Small bunch of fresh flat parsley

Method

Firstly: Combine all ingredients (minus the mussels and parsley) and mix.

Secondly: Place mussels in large pot, pour over the mixture on a high heat (keep the lid on) until the mussels steam open… and you’re done!

So if you enjoy using the freshest of the fresh ingredients and are keen to cook up a storm in the kitchen or perhaps looking for a little adventure to fill in your Saturday afternoon, then pay good ol’ Harry a visit for some mussels worth trading your real muscles for…

BCT

Harry’s Mussels

Flinders Pier

Flinders