Frozen Mussels Without Shell Recipe
Ever bought some frozen mussels without shells and wonder exactly how to cook them? They seem like a good idea in the shop – after all, you know they’re tasty, they come in a big bag and they don’t cost that much. Then when you get them home they have no cooking inspiration or details on the packet and they stay stuck in your freezer!
I’ve been in that situation too, until I experimented a bit and found my way to creating this recipe!
*DISCLAIMER* Cooking seafood from frozen can be risky, so take care, make sure everything is cooked thoroughly as I will not be held accountable for and upset stomachs!
This is only an account of what I did, you should do whatever you think is best.
Now that the boring stuff is out the way, let’s get cooking!
What you need for cooking frozen mussels (without shell)
This is what you’ll need to feed 2 (double it to feed 4):
1 Large frying pan, with a lid if possible.
200g Cooked frozen mussels without shells (you can buy big bagfuls relatively cheaply).
1 Aubergine (or eggplant, depending on where you’re from
1 Courgette (or zucchini, depending on where you’re from)
A handful of mushrooms
1 Small red onion
1 Tin of tomatoes
5ml Sunflower oil
1/2 tsp chilli powder
A sprinkle of oregano
A splash of Worcester sauce (it might be best to measure it, 1tsp is 0 Smart Points but 2tsp is 1 Smart Point)
Cooking Method
Chop all the veggies and throw them into a large frying pan with the oil and cook for about 10-15 minutes (or until they look completely done). You can see from my picture I’ve chosen to leave the veg as chunky cut, using this method it does take a while to be completely cooked.
When you’re satisfied those bits are done, throw in a tin of tomatoes and the mussels (I cook them from frozen, check what yours say on the packet, always follow instructions), then turn everything down to a medium heat, add the seasoning (the chilli powder, oregano and Worcester sauce) and let it simmer for about 20 mins with the lid on, stirring occasionally. I want to make sure the mussels are properly cooked throughout. After that, I find the sauce seems extra wet, so in order to thicken it, I whack the heat back up to high and stand by the pan stirring it whilst it bubbles.
(Hint: don’t wear white when cooking this dish!)
After doing this, your dish is ready to serve. I think the chunky vegetables make it rather filling but sometimes I bulk it out with brown rice (6sp for a portion) or have a medium wholemeal pitta to dip in (for 4sp). If you’re feeling extra hungry, you could have it with the rice AND the pitta, and it would only total 13 Smart Points anyway. Bargain!
If you liked this, you might like some of my other quick ‘n’ cheap recipes listed below:
A rather delicious turkey chilli.
For days when you have run out of Smart Points I’ve also created a list of hacks to get you by.