Choros a la Chalaca
(CHOH-rohs ah lah chah-LAH-cah)
Para Picar y Empezar
If you ask anyone from Callao what tastes most like the ocean, they won't say ceviche. They'll hand you this: a perfectly steamed mussel on the half-shell, crowned with an acidic, fiery salsa, meant to be chased with an ice-cold beer on a Sunday afternoon. The secret here isn't stressing over imported giant mussels; it's the working-class genius of massaging the red onion in cold saltwater to kill its harsh bite, and using a splash of the mussel's own cooking liquor to bind the salsa into a unified, briny masterpiece. It is an unpretentious, flawless bite of the Peruvian coast, and you can pull it off on an Ohio weeknight.
Before you start
Using frozen green-lipped mussels.
If weeknight time is extremely tight, you can buy frozen half-shell green-lipped mussels, thaw them completely, and substitute two tablespoons of clam juice or fish stock in place of the reduced mussel cooking broth.
Ingredients
- fresh blue mussels2 lb
- water1 cup
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- yellow onion1/2 med
- cloves garlic2 med
- red onion1 med
- Roma tomatoes2 med
- frozen choclo kernels3/4 cup
- red Fresno chili1 med
- fresh parsley3 tbsp
- olive oil1 tbsp
- Key limes4 med
- kosher salt1 pinch
- black pepper1 pinch
Method
- 01
Tame the red onion.
Place the diced red onion in a bowl of very cold water with a generous pinch of salt and massage them with your hands for thirty seconds to release the bitter sulfur, then rinse under cold water and drain completely.
- 02
Combine the salsa base.
In a glass or stainless-steel bowl, toss together the washed red onions, cooled choclo, diced tomatoes, minced chili, and chopped parsley, leaving the mixture undressed for now.
- 03
Steam the mussels.
Bring the water, wine, yellow onion, and smashed garlic to a rapid boil in a large pot, carefully add the mussels, cover tightly, and remove each mussel with tongs the exact moment it pops open.
- 04
Concentrate the broth.
Once all mussels are removed to a tray to cool, boil the remaining cooking liquid for two minutes to concentrate the flavor, then turn off the heat and reserve exactly two tablespoons of the brine.
- 05
Clean the mussel meat.
Remove the meat from the cooled shells, pinching off and discarding the dark, gritty stomach vein from the edge of the meat, then place the cleaned meat back onto a bottom half-shell.
- 06
Dress and rest the salsa.
Add the lime juice, olive oil, and the reserved mussel broth to your bowl of vegetables, season aggressively with salt and pepper, and let the salsa macerate for ten minutes so the acid can cure the onions.
- 07
Assemble the half-shells.
Spoon a generous mound of the rested salsa and its briny juices directly over the meat of each waiting mussel, and serve immediately alongside an ice-cold beer.
Notes
Respect the corn.
If you cannot find Peruvian choclo at a Latin market, simply omit it; substituting American sweet corn will completely ruin the savory, acidic balance of the dish.
Dialing in the heat.
To closer approximate the thick, fruity flesh of a traditional Peruvian rocoto pepper, mix half a minced Fresno chili with a tablespoon of finely minced sweet red bell pepper.
From Cook Peruvian in America.