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MOULES FARCIES

I do not apologize for repeating what is after all the best of all mussel dishes. If you have not tried mussels before, start with this recipe. Needless to say it can be adapted to oysters and large clams. Indeed the recipe originated with clams.

Serves 8

64 large mussels, scraped, opened by method 1

2 large cloves garlic, halved

1 shallot, quartered

leaves of 1 bunch of parsley

thinly cut zest of ½ lemon

250 g (8 oz) unsalted butter, cubed

salt, pepper

fresh breadcrumbs

Discard half the mussel shells, leaving the mussels on the half-shell. Make sure they are cut free.

In the processor, or by chopping, reduce garlic, shallot, parsley and lemon zest to a crumble and mix with the butter. Season. Put a dab of this mixture on top of each mussel.

Arrange the mussels on dimpled shellfish plates if you have them, or cut eight trenches of bread and make eight holes in each with an apple corer so that the mussels can rest steady, without wobbling. Put under a hot grill. As the butter melts, pull out the grill pan and scatter lightly with breadcrumbs. Put back to brown lightly and bubble. Serve immediately. (If your grill is small, arrange the mussels on two baking sheets and put them in a hot oven to melt the butter. Then finish them off under the grill, one at a time.)

MOULES MARINIÈRE

This is the simplest and most famous of the mussel stews, the basis from which many variations have been built up.

Serves 4

2 kg (4 lb) mussels, scrubbed and scraped

bouquet garni

4 tablespoons finely chopped shallot or onion

30 g (1 oz) unsalted butter

250 ml (8 fl oz) dry white wine

1 teaspoon lightly crushed peppercorns

3–4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Open the mussels as described in method 2 with the bouquet garni, shallot, butter, wine and peppercorns. Keep the opened mussels warm in a hot, covered soup tureen and, when all are done, strain the cooking liquor over them. Scatter with parsley and serve at once.

VARIATION A richer version may be made by stirring a few spoonfuls of hollandaise* into the strained mussel liquor, instead of using butter during the cooking.

MUSSEL OR OYSTER PUDDING

I suspect that one of the reasons we British think so badly of our cooking is that suet puddings, for weight reasons, are out, and suet puddings are – were? – one of the glories of our table. In fact, a good suet crust is light and pleasant to eat, crisp on the outside, a wonderful absorber of flavour. If you follow up a pudding like this one with fruit, you have an admirable lunch for a cold day that will not lie on your stomach to reproach you later on.

The secret of good suet puddings, whether savoury or sweet, is piquancy, here mussels or oysters. I daresay scallops, prawns, clams and cockles would do quite as well, but I have not tried them. Do not be tempted to use shellfish raw, as they will exude too much liquid and make the pastry doughy; cook them very lightly.

Serves 4–6

CRUST

300 g (10 oz) self-raising flour

½ level teaspoon salt

150 g (5 oz) fresh suet, chopped

FILLING

60 mussels opened by method 1 or 24 large or 36 medium oysters

100 g (3½ oz) onion, finely chopped

4–6 rashers streaky bacon (smoked or green), cut in strips, minus rind

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

SAUCE

175 g (6 oz) butter

black pepper

chopped parsley and chives

Mix the crust ingredients well together with your hands. Bind to a soft but coherent dough with cold water. Chill while you prepare the mussels or oysters.

Scrub and scrape the mussels free of barnacles, and open as directed. When open, place in a colander, then using a spoon or a loose shell half, scoop the edible part into a basin and discard the shells. Strain the liquor into a pan for later reheating.

Open the oysters with a knife as in method 3, allowing juice to fall into a small pan. Add the oysters. Set over a moderate heat and give them just long enough to firm up: remove them with a