This Vietnamese-style dish infuses fresh mussels with intense flavors of garlic, pepper, and fish sauce. A cast-iron pot, the ideal cooking vessel, gets very hot, cooking the mussels quickly and heightening the flavors of the seasonings. You can also use a wok or Dutch oven.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 6 servings

　　2 tablespoons canola oil

　　6 cloves garlic, chopped

　　2 shallots, thinly sliced

　　1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

　　2 lb (1 kg) mussels, scrubbed and debearded

　　2 tablespoons each sugar and Asian fish sauce

　　Coarsely ground pepper

　　1 red jalapeño chile, seeded and finely diced

　　Fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) sprigs for garnish

　　

Step 1

Warm a 3-qt (3-l) cast-iron kettle over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil, garlic, shallots, and salt and sauté until golden brown, about 1 minute. Raise the heat to high, add the mussels, and toss to coat with the oil. Add the sugar, fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine.

　　

Step 2

Reduce the heat to medium-high, cover, and cook until the mussels open, 3-5 minutes. Discard any that failed to open. The sauce should be the consistency of a light syrup. If the sauce is too thin, using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a plate. Raise the heat to high and cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until reduced, 3-5 minutes. Return the mussels to the kettle and toss to coat.

　　

Step 3

Garnish the mussels with the chile and cilantro sprigs and serve right away.

　　

Serving mussels

Step 4

For a more formal supper, set out a small seafood fork at each place setting. At a more casual meal, your guests can also use an empty mussel shell as a pair of pincers to pick the meats from the shells. Show diners this trick at the table. Set out a large bowl for the empty shells.

　　Reprinted with permission from William-Sonoma: Cooking at Home by Chuck Williams and Kristine Kidd, (C) 2010 by Weldon Owen Publishing