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Warm Mussel and Marinated Vegetable Salad

Eric: If you have to make mussel broth for another recipe and don't know what to do with all the leftover mussels, this dish is the perfect solution. On the other hand, if you want to make this salad and don't have a use for the broth, just freeze it.

Maguy: The crunchy diced vegetables contrast perfectly with the softness of the mussels, even though it's not the wonderful moules marinière of my childhood.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup zucchini in 1/4-inch dice
1/3 cup fennel in 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup seeded ripe tomato in 1/4-inch dice
1 teaspoon chopped shallot
pinch cayenne
fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 clove garlic, peeled and split in half
1 teaspoon drained capers
4 imported black olives, pitted and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds mussels, steamed open and picked from shells

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the zucchini for 1 minute. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain again and place in a bowl with the fennel, tomato, and shallot. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add the parsley, basil, garlic, capers, olives, and olive oils. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours.

    Step 2

    Arrange the mussels in a radial pattern in 4 shallow, oven proof bowls. (The mussels maybe arranged and refrigerated several hours before serving.)

    Step 3

    To serve, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the mussels in the oven just to warm them through, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, top the mussels with the vegetable mixture. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the oil from the mixture over each bowl. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from the Le Bernardin Cookbook by Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert, © 1998 Doubleday, A Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
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