Mussels with savoy cabbage and shrimps recipe

By Tom Norrington-Davies

Serves 4
Ready in about 45 minutes
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Rating

Not as austere as it sounds, this is warming and light all at once. Ideally, you want potted, brown Morecambe Bay-type shrimps for their spiced butter and almost bacon-like chewiness. You can use small cold water prawns instead.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium-sized leeks, trimmed, sliced and washed
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 smallish savoy cabbage (or similar)
125ml white wine
2kg live mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
5 x 57g pots potted shrimps (or use 200g cooked, shelled prawns and
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
A tiny shake of Tabasco)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pot large enough for the mussels. When it is hot, add the leeks and garlic. Reduce the heat to low and fry very gently until softened.
2. Remove and discard the cabbage’s darker, outer leaves and heart, and shred the pale leaves fairly finely. Add to the pot, stir, then pour in the wine. Cover and cook until very soft– 5-10 minutes. Add the mussels, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until they all look open. Remove from the heat, add the shrimps and their butter (or the prawns, butter, spices and Tabasco) then cover with the lid. Leave for 5 minutes. If you need to stir in the shrimps, do so gently (serving up normally distributes them). Discard any closed mussels.
3. Serve with plenty of bread to mop up the buttery juices. Note I did not use salt or pepper – mussels and shrimps usually have enough flavour.