MUSSELS “CALLAO”

Norman Van Aken, © 2001

Callao refers to foods from Peru’s port area in the coastal city of Lima. This is simply freshly steamed and chilled plump mussels topped with a gorgeous “salsita”.

Yield: Serves 6

3 dozen mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

1 Cup of “Simple Court Bouillon” or water

½ Cup of corn kernels, cooked

2 tomatoes, concassé

1/3 Cup of peeled and seeded cucumber, minced

½ red onion, minced

1 scotch bonnet, stemmed, seeded, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Put the Simple Court Bouillon or water in a skillet and bring to a boil.  Add the mussels, cover and cook until opened, 2-4 minutes.  Discard any that do not open.  Drain.  Allow to cool.

Wipe out the skillet and add the butter over medium heat.  When the butter is foaming add the corn, season with salt and pepper and toss.  Cook about 2 minutes.

Remove the top half of the mussel’s shell and detach the mussel from the lower shell.  Place mussels on a flat surface.

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, corn, cucumber, red onion, Scotch bonnet and garlic.  Stir in the oil, lemon juice and cilantro.  Season to taste.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of salsa over each mussel. Serve immediately.

Substitution note: We used scotch bonnet instead of the Ají amarillo, which would normally be used in this dish in Peru.

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