Ingredients
2.5kg mussels
250g cream
10ml Tobasco sauce
3 large handfuls of spinach
Half bunch of flat leaf parsley
Half bunch of tarragon
Splash of Pernod
200ml of fish stock or water
Method
Start by thoroughly cleaning the mussel beards and shells and then set them aside. Combine the cream and Tobasco sauce in a pan, heating just shy of simmering to infuse the flavours, before setting aside to cool to room temperature.
In the meantime, boil a pot of salted water. Blanch the spinach for approximately one minute, then transfer into iced water to refresh. Once chilled, drain the spinach, squeezing out as much water as possible, and roughly chop.
Blend the cooled cream, spinach, and cleaned herbs in a blender until you achieve a smooth consistency.
Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it’s extremely hot. Add a little neutral-flavoured oil, immediately followed by the mussels. Stir for about a minute, then add a generous splash of Pernod, followed by the fish stock (or water if you don’t have any stock on hand). Cover the saucepan and cook on high heat for around 4 minutes, or until all the mussels have opened.
Transfer mussels to a serving dish, discarding any that didn’t open. Leaving the residual cooking liquid in the pot, return it to the heat, bring it to a boil, and add the prepared green sauce. Bring to a boil once more, adjust the seasoning to taste, and pour over the mussels to serve.
