Island chef Gordon Bailey wowed crowds with this impressive appetizer at the 2011 Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival. It is a showstopper in terms of looks, but it's really a snap to make. The aioli features raw egg yolks, so use organic eggs, if possible, or substitute 1 cup light mayonnaise for the egg yolks and oil, adding the other aioli ingredients according to the recipe.
- Portion size 8 servings
- Credits : Canadian Living Magazine: April 2012
Ingredients
Aioli:
Corn Bread:
Garnish:
Method
Corn Bread: In large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Whisk together milk, butter and egg. Pour over dry ingredients; stir until well combined.Scrape into greased 9-inch (2.5 L) square baking pan. Bake in 400ºF (200ºC) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack; let cool completely.
Halve corn bread; cut each half crosswise into 8 pieces.
In large skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; toast corn bread pieces, in batches and turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, adding remaining oil as needed.
Set aside.
Scrub mussels; remove any beards. Discard any mussels that do not close when tapped.
Meanwhile, in Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; cook shallot and garlic, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add wine; bring to boil. Stir in mussels. Cover and steam until mussels open, 4 to 6 minutes; discard any that do not open. Reserve 1 tbsp broth. Remove mussels from shells; discard shells. Set aside.
Aioli: In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and reserved mussel broth. Gradually whisk in oil in steady stream until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Whisk in cornichons, shallot, chopped dill, salt and pepper. Add mussels, tossing gently to coat.
Garnish: To serve, spoon mussel mixture over corn bread pieces. Top each with sprig of dill.
Nutritional facts Per piece: about
- Fibre 2 g
- Sodium 530 mg
- Sugars 13 g
- Protein 9 g
- Calories 469.0
- Total fat 33 g
- Potassium 205 mg
- Cholesterol 101 mg
- Saturated fat 8 g
- Total carbohydrate 35 g
%RDI
- Iron 19.0
- Folate 29.0
- Calcium 5.0
- Vitamin A 11.0
- Vitamin C 5.0
