mussel salad with saffron dressing recipe

Mussel Salad With Saffron Dressing Recipe

Preparation time    : 40 min
Total cooking time : 30 min
Serves  4- 6

Ingredients :

To prepare a perfect mussel salad we need :

500 g (1 lb] new potatoes, unpeeled
1 kg [2 lb] black mussels
⅔ cup (170 ml/5 ½ fl oz) dry white wine
1 small onion, sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
large pinch of powdered saffron or
threads
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation :

1- Place the potatoes in a pan of cold,
lightly salted water. Bring to the boil,
then reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes, or until tender. [When pierced
with the point of a small knife, the potato
will come away easily.) Drain and leave to
cool.

2- Scrub the mussels with a stiff brush and
pull out the hairy beards. Discard any
broken mussels, or open ones that don't
close when tapped on the bench. Rinse
well. Place the wine, onion, thyme sprigs,
bay leaves and half the mussels in a
saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover
and cook over high heat, stirring once for
about 4-5 minutes, or until the mussels
start to open. Remove the mussels as
they open, using tongs. Discard any
unopened mussels. Cook the remaining
mussels the same way, and leave to cool.

3- Strain the mussel cooking liquid and
reserve ½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) of the liquid.
While it is still warm, stir in the saffron.
Whisk in the sour cream and season well
with salt and cracked pepper.

4-  Cut the potatoes into quarters if large,
or halves if small. Remove the mussels
and discard the shells. Combine the
5 potatoes and mussels in a bowl and add
the saffron dressing. Sprinkle with
chopped parsley and serve immediately.