? - Mussels/clams for one

[smokeandashes]

I am in search of some advice regarding cooking clams and mussels for one. I love seafood but most recipes are for more than I could eat in one sitting (usually calling for a pound or more of the seafood) and I don't think that seafood reheats well. Take for example this recipe

Mussels in Tomato-Wine Broth

From
Serve with chilled white wine and Italian bread. To save prep time, use kitchen scissors to cut the tomatoes in the can.


2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
2 pounds small mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, lemon juice, pepper, tomatoes, and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add mussels. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until shells open. Remove from heat, and discard any unopened shells. Stir in parsley.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: about 15 mussels and 1 cup tomato mixture)

CALORIES 295 (27% from fat); FAT 8.9g (sat 1.4g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.7g); PROTEIN 25.4g; CHOLESTEROL 57mg; CALCIUM 145mg; SODIUM 823mg; FIBER 3.6g; IRON 10.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.4g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2005


Would you make the broth and just cook 1 pound of mussels or would you try to cut the recipe in half?

Thanks

[Joyce]

If you make the broth and divide it in two after boiling, you can freeze 1/2 the broth (all the broth ingredients are very freezable and would probably taste even better later!), then all you have to do is buy a second pound of mussels some night and take out your frozen broth and VOILA! an easy second meal!

[Canice]

I make mussels for just myself, no problem. Though, honestly, I don't use a recipe; I would look at recipes for flavors I like and take my inspiration from there. Here's what I usually do:

Thinly slice a small onion
Thinly slice half a small bulb of fennel
Mince several cloves of garlic
Chop a couple of tomatoes, saving juices
Mince parsley
Take the zest from about 1/2 a lemon

Heat a little olive oil (maybe 1 T?) and add onions. Once they begin to soften add the fennel and garlic. Cook over medium-low until all the vegetables are soft, then add a few splashes of white wine (or dry Vermouth) the tomatoes with juices, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. As soon as the tomatoes begin to cook down, add a pound of mussels and cook, covered, for a couple of minutes. Serve over a small bit of angel hair pasta and sprinkle minced parsley and zest over top.