Susan Gillespie from Galway was the winner of our Radisson Blu Royal Dublin competition to provide a truly Irish recipe for St. Patrick's Day. Her recipe was featured on the hotel's restaurant menu for St. Patrick's Day - recreate it at home!
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg mussels (susan sourced hers from connemara)
- 1 medium onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 200 g pancetta/lardons (irish if possible)
- knob of irish butter
- 400 ml irish cider (susans uses johnny jump up cider or adams irish cider)
- 4 tblsp cream
- parsley
- crusty bread or stale toasted soda bread
Method
- Get a large lidded saucepan on a high heat and fry pancetta until golden and sizzling. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Add onion and garlic and cook for about 3 mins until onion is soft.
- Add cider and allow to bubble for a few mins. Add mussels, cover with the lid and allow to steam for about 4 mins until they open.
- Give pot a shake once or twice during cooking to get all the flavours going.
- Remove from heat and stir in cream and parsley.
- Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- Serve with bread to mop up the juices.
- NB - before eating - Throw away any mussels that open before cooking and any that are closed after cooking.
Notes
Susan says: I chose this cider because my husband loves his cider and we always have some in the house!
