Anticiplate

A quick question for you. Are you one of those people who think that Cilantro smells and tastes like soap?

I guess there is a gene that makes Cilantro taste and smell this way and it only affects certain people. There are whole blogs dedicated to this! I am not kidding, people. I wonder if this gene is related to the one where you eat asparagus and your urine smells?

Okay. Enough of these weird question. This is a food blog, not Web MD.

I am glad I am not one of those people that dislikes hates cilantro.  If I hated cilantro, I would really be (insert curse word here) out of luck. Two of my favorite cuisines use cilantro as one of its vital ingredients: Mexican and Asian.

This Asian-influenced recipe comes from Mark Bittman, New York Times food writer, and creator of the Bitten Blog.  I have been anxious to try one of his recipes because of this blog, but also simply because he doesn’t claim to be a chef, and his recipes are simple and clean . There is also an entire video of Mark making this recipe. Shouldn’t I be doing videos? Yes. Yes I should.

It is not very often that you see mussels removed from their little homes to stand alone in a salad. Risky? Yes! Because, it is those shells that make mussels sexy and interesting to eat. Without their shells, well, mussels are just plain ugly. But, this salad, with all of its beautiful components can really stand alone without the shells. It is a fresh recipe perfect for a summertime lunch, or a light dinner with a huge glass of Soter Pinot Noir Rosé.

*Recipe adapted from Mark Bittman of New York Times Food Section

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves 4-6

4 pounds mussels, well scrubbed and de-bearded (excellent tutorial by “The Kitchn”)

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 to 3 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste

Zest from one lime

1 (or 1/2) fresh Thai chilies, minced

1 cup mung bean sprouts

1 cup cucumber, diced

2 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut thinly at an angle

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped.

Put mussels in a large pot with a lid. Pour 1/4 cup water over all, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a steady bubble (you will hear it and see some steam escaping). Shake pot now and then.

Meanwhile, combine coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, lime zest and chilies in a large bowl; add bean sprouts, cucumber, scallions and red pepper.

Mussels will be done in 5 to 10 minutes, or when all or most of the shells have opened. Remove and let cool slightly, reserving cooking liquid. (If there is a great deal, reduce it while you shuck mussels.)

When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and add them to bowl with vegetables and dressing. Add cilantro and as much of the reserved cooking liquid as you need to make mixture saucy. Toss well to combine, adjust seasonings and serve, or refrigerate up to a few hours.