How Long Does It Take To Steam Mussels
When the steam is pouring out from under the lid of the pot for 15 seconds they are done.
How long does it take to steam mussels. Add wine lemon juice chicken broth and red pepper flakes. You simmer the steaming liquid for a few minutes to develop its flavor then you add the mussels or clams cover and steam until the shellfish have opened. Bring to a boil then dump in the mussels and cover. For cooking up to 2 pounds of mussels we often use an 11 inch wide skillet with a glass top you can see it in the above photo.
Add the parsley and butter and steam for another minute. Keep temperature to high. This allows the cooking liquid and steam to reach the mussels easily. Cover the pot again and allow the mussels to steam for another minute so they soften.
Cover the pot and steam over medium high for 5 minutes until the mussels open. Add most of the chopped parsley cover the pan with a lid and cook the mussels for about 3 4 minutes giving the pan a shake from time to time. For 1 12 to 4 12 pounds mussels put 1 cup liquid water or a mix of water and white wine or beer in a 4 to 6 quart pot. Add the mussels to the pot and cover with the lid.
Put all the clean mussels in a bowl and put them back in the fridge while you prepare the sauce. Add the mussels to the pan. The mussels are cooked. Since the mussels will probably be in more than 1 layer shake the pot every minute or so to redistribute the layers.
Mussels have a lot of liquid inside of them so even if it does not seem like there is much broth to begin with once they cook and open up they will release their liquid into the pot and there will be lots of broth. Once the shellfish are cooked you can transfer them to serving bowls and simply ladle over the broth or convert the broth into a more classic sauce by combining it with heavy cream butter or olive oil especially good for pasta. 2 pounds of mussels in 4 liters pot should take between 5 and 10 minutes after that you should discard any unopened ones. Add the mussels and give them a good toss.
When the mussels have opened mix in cup 15 g of roughly chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons 28 g of unsalted butter.