Ingredients
3 tbsp butter
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced celery root
3 shallots, diced
2 bay leaves
140 ml dark ale
1 kg fresh mussels, scrubbed & de-bearded
3 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp flat parsley, chopped
2 tsp tarragon, chopped
SIDS SALT & PEPPER to taste
Crusty bread, toasted
Directions
Heat the butter in a saucepan. Add the carrot, celery root, shallots and bay leaf then sauté for 5-8 minutes, until softened. Add the ale and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
Place a large colander over a separate pot and set aside.
Heat a 30 cm large, flat-sided sauté pan over high heat. Add the mussels and vegetable ale mixture. Cover the pan, shaking it back and forth occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary. Cook the mussels until the shells have opened, roughly 3-5 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open.
Strain the mussels through the colander, reserving the cooking liquids. Remove the mussels from the shell.
Reduce the cooking liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to one third volume. Whisk in the crème fraîche, fresh herbs and season to taste with SIDS SALT & PEPPER (either no salt or very little salt will be needed). Keep warm.
Pour the cooking liquid over the mussels and serve with toasted crusty bread.
