Fast summertime food

Now that it’s summer — the time of year when you’re not supposed to eat shellfish — I find myself inexplicably attracted to mussels. Perhaps it was the article I recently read in a food magazine about the classic French dish, moules et frites. I ordered it recently at Le Laurentis, a French-style bistro in Lakeville, and enjoyed it very much.

What I especially enjoyed about it was that I didn’t get violently ill after my meal.

Everyone I know who eats mussels has at least one story about the time they ate a bad one and threw up for several hours.

It’s hard to know when there’s one bad mussel in an otherwise salubrious bowlful. Searching around among my usual impeccable Internet resources, I found a few tips for safe shellfish eating.

Rule number one is not really true any longer. In the old days, people were advised not to eat shellfish of any kind in months that don’t have the letter R in their names — which basically translates to “Don’t eat shellfish in summer.” This was apparently more true in the days before reliable refrigeration and isn’t so much of an issue these days.

Another modern innovation is that mussels are now farmed — they’re collected from waters that have been approved by government health officials.If you feel strongly about not eating “farmed” seafood of any kind, you can “harvest” mussels in the wild — but even then, you’re supposed to collect them in water that has been inspected by someone with a badge.

Several articles on the web said that healthy mussels are supposed to close when you agitate or tap them. Conversely, if any of them don’t open while you’re cooking them, throw them out.

Once they’re cooked, they should smell mild and fresh (and, of course, of garlic).

It seems that some people actually eat mussels raw. That seems a little devil-may-care to me, but I’m an overly cautious sort of gal. Needless to say, if you’re eating them raw, it becomes even more important to be sure they’re ultra fresh and come from very clean water.

With all those warnings,  you might be wondering at this point whether there’s any point in eating mussels. Well, frst of all, they taste lovely and sort of creamy, if they’re fresh and cooked properly. Second, they’re kind of fun: You get a big bowl of them, and open each shell individually, while dipping French baguette in the garlic-laden broth. Third, unlike so many edibles from the oceans, there is no shortage of mussels.

Nutritionally, they have a lot of omega-3 oils, which are good for your cardio system.

They have protein, zinc, iron and selenium. And they’re rich in B12 vitamins, which help your body form red blood cells.

Almost any good cookbook with a European or classical bent should have a recipe for mussels in broth. Marsden Epworth, editor of the Compass arts and entertainment supplement of this newspaper, suggests this alternative preparation with an Asian feel.

What I like about Asian cooking is its speed, a plus during summer. It takes just minutes to stir up a batch of mussels, and, voila! Done.

And I like it that so many Asian sauces and condiments sit in the pantry, ready to go. We don’t make our own ketchup. And no Chinese cook I knew made hoisin or oyster or soy sauce at home. That makes preparation even faster.

So here’s my favorite version of mussels.

Asian mussels for 4

4 pounds of scrubbed and debearded mussels;  3 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped fine;  3 slices of ginger, skin on if it’s thin and clean, chopped;  1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes;  3 tablespoons peanut oil;  1 cup of white wine or dry vermouth;  1/4 cup water;  2 tablespoons crab paste (available in the Asian food section of the Sharon Farm Market);  a handful of cilantro leaves.

Heat peanut oil over high flame in a wok or large pot. Add garlic, ginger and pepper flakes all at once and stir briskly for  3 to 5 seconds, tops. Don’t let the garlic burn. Toss in mussels and stir to distribute flavorings; add wine, still stirring, and let it boil for 30 seconds. Now add the crab paste, stir in, lower flame and cover. When the mussels open in a minute or two, they are done. Taste the liquid. If you would like it milder, add the water. Shower the mussels with cilantro leaves and serve right away.    

— Marsden Epworth