Reminiscing about my past travels, my family and I used to live in Belgium. What better way to reflect on fond memories of the past, by cooking this local dish.
Moules-Frites originated in Belgium and is their national dish! Popular and considered cheap food to eat along the Flemish coast, nothing is more savory then a salty-carb mix. Historically this dish was often cooked in the winter months when the fish and other food was not easily accessible.
Fast forward to 2020- my wine and carb intake did increases drastically. In order to rein it back in a bit, instead of a typical- potato based frites, I swapped out the starch for zucchini! This lovely combo is quite crispy and delicious substitute. What makes this dish so delicious is the crispy zucchini frites and balance of the tasty sauce that is a heavenly blend of garlic, tomatoes and shallots along with mussels and shrimp. Honestly, this is one of my many favorite dishes!
Check out the step by step video below for directions on air frying the zucchini frites.
This dish pairs nicely with #breadandbutterwines chardonnay
Step by Step on how to cook zucchini frites^
This dish was Inspired by travels in Belgium
Moules + Zucchini Frites
Ingredients:
Moules
>1 package of pancetta from #boarshead_official
> 1 pound of mussels
> 8-10 pieces of frozen shrimp (defrosted)
>1 shallot
>6-8 cloves of garlic
>3 plum tomatoes diced
>2 tablespoons of gluten free flour
>1/4 cup of chardonnay wine (I used #breadandbutterwines)
>2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
>2 tablespoons of garlic olive oil, I used #saratogaoliveoilco
>Salt and pepper
>Dash of Parsley for garnish
Zucchini Frites
>3 Zucchini (Sliced the long way)
>1 cup of Gluten free breadcrumbs
>1/4 cup of parmesan
>1 tablespoon of magic salt from #curiorspice (can purchase here: https://www.curiospice.com/blends/magic-salt)
>3 dashes of ground garlic powder
>4-5 dashes of ground ginger
>3 dashes of black pepper
>1 teaspoon of #duxburysaltworks salt
>2 eggs
General directions for Moules:
1) Preheat non-stick pan and add garlic olive oil on medium heat
2) Chop shallot into small pieces and garlic cloves, add to the pan. Add the pre-chopped pancetta into the pan. Then cook all ingredients for 3-4 minutes. Once garlic and shallot are browned, add flour to the mix and coat thoroughly. (Cook for 2 minutes.)
3) Next chop plum tomatoes into small chunks. From there simmer in the pan for 5-6 minutes.
4) From there, add the chardonnay wine, turn up heat and let it boil for 3 minutes. Once the wine has cooked out for a few minutes, slowly start to add chicken broth in the pan a 1/4 cup at a time.
5) While the sauce is simmering, its important that you wash the mussels and debeard them. Any open mussels should be thrown out because, they could be bad.
(Suggested Directions on Mussel debearding can be found here: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-clean-and-debeard-mussels-article )
Once the mussels are cleaned and washed you can add to the pan after the sauce is boiling.
6) Once all the chicken broth has been added and simmering together in the sauce, add the defrosted shrimp and mussels to the pan. Place a lid on top and cook for 3-4 minutes. The mussels should open up as they simmer in the pan!
7) Once done, serve in your favorite bowl and dip in the zucchini frites and enjoy! #voila #molesetfrites are ready to serve!
General directions for Zucchini Frites:
(Refer to the video above for easy step by step instructions)
1) Start by mixing all dry ingredients: gluten free bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper, magic salt, ground ginger and garlic and whisk together in a bowl.
2) Next, cut the zucchini length wise and in halves. Place to the side.
3) Crack 2 eggs in a separate bowl from the dry ingredients and whisk together, add a dash of pepper to the mix.
4) From there you will first dip all the zucchini fries in the egg and shake off any excessive egg. Dip next in the dry ingredients bowl. Place on an air fryer rack or on a baking sheet. (Repeat these steps until all zucchini's are coated and cooked.)
5) Once placed in an air-fyer, bake at 390 degrees for 6 minutes. If you are cooking in the oven, place at 400 degrees for 8-9 minutes (checking periodically to make sure the coating is browning and not burning.. Oven type may vary the timing)
6) #Voila! Add to a plate and serve right away with #Moulesetfrites , Enjoy this delicious Belgium based dish!
Comments