Mejillones en Escabeche sobre Chips
Mejillones en Escabeche sobre Chips·(meh-hee-YOH-ness en es-cah-BEH-cheh soh-breh chips)
La Hora del Vermut: The Weekend Prelude
This is the undisputed king of La Hora del Vermut, a masterpiece of high-low dining that marries centuries-old Spanish preservation with the aggressive crunch of a potato chip. It takes twenty minutes on a Thursday to steam the bivalves, infuse the oil, and respect the golden rule of Spanish cooking: never burn your paprika. Then, you walk away. Time does the heavy lifting, rounding out the vinegar and smoky oil over a mandatory twenty-four-hour rest. When the weekend arrives, dump the whole beautiful, paprika-stained mess over a bowl of thick kettle chips and serve immediately alongside an ice-cold beer. It tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Clean and sort the mussels.
Rinse under cold running water, pull off any fibrous beards sticking out of the shells, and discard any mussels with cracked shells or that refuse to close when tapped.
Ingredients
- fresh live blue mussels2 lb
- dry white wine1/4 cup
- dried bay leaves3 large
- extra virgin olive oil1/2 cup
- white wine vinegar1/3 cup
- garlic cloves4 large
- whole black peppercorns1 tsp
- sweet smoked Spanish paprika1 1/2 tsp
- hot smoked paprika1/4 tsp
- kosher salt1 pinch
- kettle-cooked potato chips1 large bag
Method
- 01
Steam the mussels with wine and a bay leaf.
Bring the wine and one bay leaf to a rapid simmer in a wide pot over medium-high heat, add the cleaned mussels, cover tightly, and steam for 3 to 5 minutes until just opened.
- 02
Shuck the mussels and save the oceanic liquor.
Transfer the opened mussels to a bowl, discarding any that remain shut. Once cool enough to handle, pluck the meat into a glass or ceramic container, and strain 1/4 cup of the remaining cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to save for the marinade.
- 03
Infuse the olive oil.
In a skillet over medium-low heat, gently sizzle the olive oil, smashed garlic cloves, peppercorns, and the remaining two bay leaves for 3 to 5 minutes until the garlic just begins to turn golden.
- 04
Bloom the paprika completely off the heat.
Remove the skillet entirely from the heat to prevent burning, stir in both the sweet and hot smoked paprika, and let it bloom in the hot oil for 10 seconds.
- 05
Build and simmer the escabeche.
Carefully pour the vinegar and reserved mussel liquor into the warm spiced oil, add a pinch of salt, and return to low heat for 1 to 2 minutes just to burn off the harshness of the raw vinegar.
- 06
Submerge and rest the mussels.
Pour the hot escabeche liquid directly over the shucked mussels so they are completely submerged, let cool to room temperature, seal tightly, and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours.
- 07
Assemble for La Hora del Vermut.
When ready to serve, spread a generous layer of thick kettle chips onto a platter, spoon the cold mussels over the top, drizzle with the vibrant orange sauce, and serve immediately while the chips are violently crunchy.
Notes
The golden rule of paprika.
Never add pimentón over an active flame. It has a high sugar content and will burn into an acrid, bitter mess in seconds. Always take the pan off the heat first.
Time is a non-negotiable ingredient.
Escabeche is a cold preservation technique, not a hot pan-sauce. The mandatory 24- to 48-hour resting period in the refrigerator is what firms the proteins and develops the authentic, rounded flavor.
Respect the chip.
Standard thin potato chips will disintegrate under the wet marinade. You must use thick, hard-bite kettle-cooked chips to replicate the structural integrity of traditional Spanish churrería potatoes.
From Cook Spanish in America.