Mussels in a Caribbean Coconut Broth with Roti
A spiced-up taste of the sea. A light, yet satisfying meal that’s great for a weeknight dinner or a weekend get-together. The spicy and fragrant Caribbean-style coconut broth is perfect with the mildly sweet, rich and briny mussels. Delicious mopped up with fresh roti. Make sure that your mussels are thoroughly cleaned and that you’ve discarded any that aren’t tightly closed before cooking.
Method
For the Mussels
Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid over a low heat and cook the onion, garlic, ginger, spring onion whites and chilli for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and salt. Add a little extra splash of stock, (or beer/wine) if you prefer a thinner broth.
Stir in the mussels and increase the heat to medium-high. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until all the shells have opened – give the pan a good shake half-way through the cooking time, holding the lid firmly in place. Discard any mussels that remain closed.
Divide the mussels between 4 serving bowls leaving the sauce in the pan, again discarding any that have remained closed. Stir the lime juice and zest, spring onion greens and coriander and into the coconut broth and check for seasoning. Spoon over the mussels and serve immediately garnished with coriander and with some fresh roti and lime wedges.
For the Roti
In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly add the water, mixing with your hands until the mixture forms a dough. You may need more or less water – the dough should be pliable and soft, yet firm. Cover the dough with a clean tea towel and leave to rest in a warm place for about 20-30 minutes.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls, flatten slightly and roll out into approx. 20cm rounds about 5mm (1⁄4 inch) thick. Brush with the oil or butter, fold in half, then into quarters, roll back into balls, and then roll out again to approx. 20cm rounds.
Heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan or flat griddle over a medium heat. Brush each roti with a little more oil or butter and add one or two at a time to the pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes until browned bubbles appear, turning frequently and brushing with oil each time you do. Remove from the pan and wrap the roti in a tea towel or foil and keep warm while you cook the rest.
Ingredients
- For the Mussels
- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped or 2-3 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 cm fresh root ginger, peeled, grated
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced, green and white parts separated
- ¼ - ½ scotch bonnet chilli or 1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp mild/medium Caribbean curry powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 large ripe vine tomato, deseeded and diced
- 150ml hot low-salt chicken stock, a little extra if preferred
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 1 x 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk
- 1.7kg - 2kg fresh mussels, scrubbed clean and beards removed, drained
- 1 lime, zest and juice, plus wedges for serving
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to serve
- roti or crusty bread, for serving
- For the Roti
- 225g plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 200ml water
- vegetable oil or clarified butter/ghee