Name: Mussels with Mustard Sauce and Scallions (Mūrugai no Karashi Miso Aé)
Yield: Serves 2-3
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons shiro miso (light fermented bean paste); 2 dozen mussels; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1½ teaspoons rice vinegar; 6-8 square inches dashi kombu (kelp for stock making); 4—5 slender scallions with pretty green tops; 1½ teaspoons karashi (hot Japanese mustard) powder; ¼ cup saké (Japanese rice wine)

Preparation info

Serves
2-3

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

An Ocean of Flavor

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1988

About

This is a classic appetizer in Japan, where it is served from late winter through early spring and again in the autumn. On warm days it’s served with a frosty glass of cold beer; on chilly days it’s best with warmed saké.

Ingredients

2 dozen mussels
6-8 square inches dashi kombu (kelp for stock making)
¼ cup

Method

Soak the mussels in salted water to cover for 20-30 minutes to help disgorge any sand. Scrub the mussels and remove their beards.
Place the mussels in a wide-mouthed pot. Add the kelp and wine, cover, and cook over high heat until the mussels open, about 3 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels after 4 or 5 minutes. Strain the broth through a cloth- or paper-lin