Luke's mussels

“Salisbury Farmers' Market is said to be the best in England, and when I arrived I knew why. It was buzzing with the finest artisans in the area and the produce was just incredible. The seafood, meat, poultry, herbs, fruits and vegetables were so vibrantly fresh. So I grabbed all of the best ingredients and made a wok-tossed mussel dish to share with all the locals. I had a blast.” Luke Nguyen, Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• small knob of butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped
• 50 g biltong (optional), finely chopped
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) apple cider
• 1½ tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 kg mussels, cleaned
• 4 asparagus spears, thinly sliced
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 garlic chives, sliced
• 5 saw tooth coriander, sliced
• 6 mint leaves, sliced
• 2 makrut lime leaves, finely sliced
• torn baguette, to serve

Instructions

Heat a wok over high heat. Add the butter and oil and when it starts to foam, add the garlic, lemongrass, biltong if using and the chilli. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and the biltong is crisp. Add the apple cider, oyster sauce and fish sauce and bring to the boil. Add the mussels and toss to combine well. Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes or just until the mussels begin to open. Add the asparagus, spring onion, tomatoes and herbs and toss to combine well. Cover and steam for another minute or until all the mussels have opened.  

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with torn baguette.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Alice Storey and Georgi Larby.

Tablekraft wok and Rockingham plate, both from Tomkin.

Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom starts Thursday 14 May 2015 at 8pm on SBS ONE and finishes 2 July 2015. Visit the Luke Nguyen's United Kingdom website to catch-up on episodes online, scroll through recipes or find out moreabout the show.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.