High-end dish - baked mussels in the oven

A gourmet appetizer - baked mussels, often served in prestigious restaurants with beer or white wine. However, this dish can be easily prepared by yourself, spending very little time. In addition, it looks spectacular on the festive table, attracting the attention of dear guests.

A healthy clam delicacy

Many housewives, wishing to diversify the diet of their family, prepare various delicacies. In supermarkets, they buy frozen mussels, which make excellent snacks. Most often, shellfish are sold directly in shells, so the dish looks very beautiful and does not need advertising. There are many recipes for how to cook baked mussels in your home kitchen. Let's consider some of them.

Shellfish with butter sauce

For an exquisite delicacy, you will need the following components:

• mussels (up to 12 pieces);
• butter (half a pack);
• olive oil (3 tablespoons);
• hard cheese (50 g);
• garlic (3 small cloves);
• lemon;
• thyme;
• parsley;
• white pepper;
• salt.

A sprig of thyme gives the shellfish a unique scent that makes you feel appetite and enjoyable.

Steps for creating baked mussels with your own hands:

1. Put the frozen clams on a plate so that they are completely thawed.
2. Using a sharp knife, separate the mussel meat from the shell. It is then gently washed to remove any remaining dirt, algae and sand. After that, the shells are laid out on a towel or napkin, where they must dry completely.
3. Mix olive oil and butter in a small container to obtain a homogeneous mass.
4. Juice is squeezed out of the lemon, the parsley is finely chopped and the garlic is passed through a press.
5. The prepared ingredients are added to the oil mixture, after which they are salted and pepper. Chopped thyme is added for flavor. Mix well.
6. The oven is heated to a temperature of 180 ° C. Sinks are placed on a baking sheet, which are carefully filled with meat. Spread butter sauce on top of each clam with a teaspoon.
7. Sprinkle the entire surface of the mussels with pre-grated cheese, and then send the blanks to the oven for 8 minutes.

Baked mussels with oil sauce are served with boiled rice and fresh vegetables.

So that the shellfish meat does not look like rubber, cooks advise not to keep it in the oven for longer than the prescribed time.

Terrific addition - hard cheese

An exquisite snack, no worse than in a restaurant, is prepared from a simple set of products:

• two dozen frozen mussels;
• semi-hard cheese ("Tilsiter");
• Parmesan (100 g);
• bulb;
• medium sized lemon;
• black pepper (4 peas);
• laurel;
• dill;
• salt.

To create excellent mussels baked with cheese with your own hands, they perform several simple processes:

1. Thawed shellfish are thoroughly washed under running water.
2. A pot of water is placed on the fire. Throw a bay leaf, a few peppercorns, an onion, and salt into it. Boil for 5 minutes.
3. Mussels are dipped into the hot liquid. After boiling, cook for no more than 3 minutes.
4. Tilsiter semi-hard cheese is cut into small cubes. Parmesan is cut into strips. Part of the cheese is left for sprinkling.
5. The water is drained from the mussels and left to cool. Then they are laid out on a baking sheet and pieces of cheese are placed in each sink. Pour lemon juice on top.
6. A baking sheet with clams is sent to a preheated oven to 200 ° C. As soon as the cheese begins to melt, take it out immediately.
7. The blanks are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and back into the oven to form a golden brown crust. 

In accordance with this recipe, baked mussels with cheese are served hot.

You can place a few toothpicks around the clams to keep the clams flat on the baking dish.

Awesome snack in miniature boats

Lovers of exotic dishes can surprise their friends with an overseas delicacy. Baked mussels in shells resemble small boats with appetizing filling. They fit wonderfully into a festive meal and will satisfy even irreconcilable gourmets. And for the dish you need only a few components:

• frozen mussels;
• mayonnaise;
• Ketchup sauce;
• garlic;
• pepper;
• lemon;
• salt;
• parsley.

The secret to cooking is to follow simple steps:

1. Put the defrosted mussels on a baking dish.
2. Mayonnaise and Ketchup sauce are mixed by adding salt and pepper. 
3. Each clam is gently spread with a mixture. Send the mold with the blanks to the oven heated to 200 ° C. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. Finely chop the parsley with a knife and then sprinkle with mussels.
5. Lemon juice is dripped over the sauce.
6. Stunning boats are laid on beautiful dishes and served to guests.

Video recipe for baked mussels