2 Mussel or Midia Dishes
These Armenian Mussel Recipes are Excellent Appetizers
These two Armenian recipes for preparing mussels (Midia) are terrific for the buffet table.
This seems like an innovative way to serve mussels, yet it is an extremely old Armenian recipe. Try it on the buffet table or as an accompaniment to a cocktail party.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of fresh mussels,
- 4 cups of chopped onions
- ½ cup uncooked rice
- 2 cups of chicken broth, water or clam broth (each will give the finished product a slightly different taste – experiment with what you like best).
- ¼ cup currants
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- chopped fresh parsely, to taste – at least 2 Tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Lemon slices to garnish
Method:
- Soak the mussels in salted water for several hours (al least 3 hours)
- Clean each mussel by scrubbing its shell well with a stiff kitchen brush
- Open each mussel GENTLY with the point of a sharp knife – taking care NOT to break the joint!
- Remove the piece of hair that typically hangs out of the shell.
- Put the mussels back into the salted water, while the rest of the ingredients are prepared.
- Saute the onions in the olive oil until they are cooked through – but not burnt.
- Add the currants, pine nuts, rice, parsely and seasonings and mix well, taking care to coat everything with the oil – but not to burn the rice.
- Set aside to cool down.
- Take each mussel from the water and gently open it enough to insert a teaspoon of the rice mixture.
- Close the shells and place in a shallow baking dish.
- Repeat this process until each mussel is filled and the mussels are packed fairly tightly together. They may also be layered over each other.
- Pour the water, chicken stock or clam broth over the stuffed mussels.
- Cover the baking dish with a plate that fits inside of it – then a regular cover and slide into a 300 degree F. oven to cook slowly for 1 ½ to 2 hours – until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
- Remove from baking dish and serve warm, with lemon slices to garnish, as desired.
Fried Midia
This is another excellent addition to an appetizer spread. The mussels must be rather large-sized and very fresh, or the resulting product will not turn out well.
Ingredients:
- 3-5 pounds of large, excellent, fresh mussels, the best quality you can find
- Flour and beaten egg for dipping and battering
- Salt and pepper to taste, added to the flour
- Oil for frying, canola oil works quite well for this
Method:
- Open the mussels and remove the meat inside.
- Dip each first in flour, then beaten egg, then flour again.
- Heat the oil to the point when you can dip a dredged mussel in it and have it sizzle.
- Fry each dredged mussel to a golden brown and drain on absorbent toweling.
- Serve with Teratour Sauce:
Teratour Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 cloves of ground garlic, mashed to a pulp
- 1 slice of white bread with the crust removed
- 2 Tablespoons of walnuts or almonds, ground very fine
- 2 Tablespoons of lemon (some use vinegar)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Soak the bread in water and then squeeze dry.
- Combine it with the rest of the ingredients to form a loose, soft paste. You can add a bit more water to get the best consistency for dipping.
Can also be served with fried fish.
The copyright of the article 2 Mussel or Midia Dishes in Middle Eastern Cuisine is owned by Debbie Kwiatoski. Permission to republish 2 Mussel or Midia Dishes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
