Mussels and Grapefruit Salad

The sprouting greens and the warming air of spring call for a refreshing salad even on a cold day. I’m shedding the heavier carb in favor of the lighter salads. Nearly forgotten how quick and easy it is to toss a salad together. Minimal effort and maximum freshness. So I make this winning mussels and grapefruit salad, courtesy of Nigel Slater.

There are so many attractive colors and flavors to consider and savor. The yellow and ivory mussels are eye candies. Then the crispness of fennel, the citrus notes of grapefruit and the distinct aniseed flavor of fresh dill bring a balance and contrast to the mussels. Finally, you are presented with a perfect salad for a seasonal change of appetite.

Here comes the hard part. Before cooking, the mussels need quite a bit of thorough inspection and cleaning. Then you proceed to scrubbing and removing dirt on every mussel. Pull out the wisp of beards tugged inside. Furthermore, make sure there are no cracked and open shells. Sometimes, you wish you can buy some cleaned mussels. Well, you can always consider the frozen mussels. In fact, I almost gave in when I saw some green-lipped mussels from New Zealand.

That would go into my next mussels and grapefruit salad. The combining flavor of the sea and citrus in a salad is impossible to resist.

Print Recipe

Mussels and Grapefruit Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g mussels
• 2 pink grapefruit, chilled
• 1 bulb of fennel
• cucumber, half a large one
• parsley leaves, a handful
• dill fronds, a handful
• For the dressing:
• 3 tbsp reserved grapefruit juice
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp small capers

Instructions

1

Wash, check and remove the beards of the mussels. Tip the mussels into a large, deep pan. Pour in a cupful of water and place over a high heat, cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid. Bring to the boil then leave to steam for 2 or 3 minutes until the shells have opened. Remove from the heat, leaving them in the pan.

2

Remove the skin from the grapefruit with a sharp knife then remove the segments, saving as much juice as possible. Cut the fennel in half from tip to base and then into paper-thin slices and add to the grapefruit, tossing the fennel with the grapefruit juice to prevent it discolouring.

3

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthways then remove the seeds and core with a teaspoon. Cut into 1cm thick pieces and add to the grapefruit.

4

Pull the parsley leaves from their stalks, add to the salad then roughly chop the dill and fold that in, too.

5

In a small bowl mix together 3 tbsp of the reserved grapefruit juice (you can drink the rest), the olive oil, a grinding of salt and black pepper and the capers. Remove the mussels from their shells and add them to the dressing, then fold through the fennel and grapefruit, and serve.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/jan/27/nigel-slater-marvellous-mussels-recipe