Cheesy Baked Mussels is a great seafood appetizer without spending a bomb on ingredients. It is savory, creamy, and looks like a gourmet meal!
Buying fresh mussels is not very expensive, especially in coastal areas in the Philippines where the seafood is abundant. Most wet markets sell these by the pound, so it’s not a very hard ingredient to procure.
This recipe literally requires just a couple of steps, but the results are so stunningly delicious your guests wouldn’t have a problem finishing them all. The secret? Fresh, clean mussels, bechamel sauce, and oozing, melting cheese on top.
How to Cook Cheesy Baked Mussels
Most recipes just put garlic, butter, and grated cheese on top, but you can level up this recipe by filling the shells with bechamel sauce before adding the grated cheese. This ensures the shells are full of goodness to the brim, and it doesn’t dry out even after a couple of hours.
Making the creamy sauce shouldn't be discouraging. It sounds really fancy but any home cook can whip it up in no time. What you’ll only need is butter, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, and milk. Simply combine these ingredients in a saucepan until thick, and voila! You got yourself some creamy bechamel sauce that’s so good you’ll want to eat it by itself.
After making the filling, fill in the shells and line them up in a baking tray and bake in a 355°F oven for at least 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted into a nice brown color. After baking, serve the mussels in a platter and you can sprinkle some bread crumbs on top for an added presentation.
Make sure to always make a couple of batches because this yummy appetizer will be gobbled up in a flash. Mussels are an excellent source of protein, as well as vitamin A and vitamin B12. However, these nutrients may be watered down a bit because of the amount of butter and cheese in the recipe. So to you health buffs out there, mind how many you eat!
Recipe
Cheesy Baked Mussels Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb fresh mussels
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven at 375°F or 190°C. Line an aluminum foil or parchment paper into a baking tray.
- Bring to boil a pot of water, add the mussels and cook it for 2-3 minutes or until the shells are open. Remove from the pot, drain and detach the empty shell. Leaving the mussel on one shell only.
- Heat a pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until lightly golden brown.
- Arrange the mussels in single layer on a baking tray. Scoop the garlic butter sauce and place it on each mussel shell. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375°F or 190°C for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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