Bored with mussels cooked the conventional way? Then try this sweet potato and orange salad recipe to put the zing back in your cooking.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, cut lengthways into thick slices
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1kg mussels in their shells, well scrubbed
- 1 small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
- 1-2 tbsp Seville orange juice
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Pinch of caster sugar (optional)
- 1 large or 2 small chicory, separated into leaves
- 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very finely sliced (feathery tops reserved)
- 2 sweet oranges, rind and pith removed, sliced or segmented
Method
- 1. Heat the grill to high, or use a ridged cast-iron grill pan. Brush the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season, then grill until browned and tender. Cool a little then cut into strips and put in a large bowl.
- 2. Meanwhile, steam the mussels in a pan over boiling water until the shells open. (Discard any mussels that aren’t open after 5-6 minutes’ steaming.) Add the shelled mussels (reserve a few shells) to the sweet potato with the onion, remaining oil, orange juice and parsley. Toss to mix and season to taste with salt, pepper and maybe a pinch or two of sugar.
- 4. Just before serving, toss in the chicory, fennel and orange slices and any chopped fennel tops. Serve immediately, garnished with mussel shells.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 578 kcals, 26.3g fat (3.7g saturated), 24g protein, 66g carbs, 30.8g sugar
Chef's tip
Use Seville oranges for the dressing, if you can find them. Otherwise, at other times of the year, use a mixture of sweet orange juice with a squeeze of lime or lemon to sharpen things up.
Wine Recommendation
A zesty New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc chimes in with the bright, vivacious flavours here.