Crisp slices of aniseed flavoured fennel and juicy oranges work beautifully with the tender mussels.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
30 fresh mussels
1 fennel bulb
2 oranges
2 baby cos lettuces
1/3 cup caper berries or 2 tablespoons capers
zest 1 lemon
Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Dressing: Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl and season.
Scrub the mussels and pull off the beards.
Place in a large saucepan with a little water. Cover and cook over a high heat until opened. Discard any that stay shut.
When cool, remove the meat from the shells and place in a bowl. Toss with half of the dressing then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Trim the fennel and reserve the fronds. Slice very thinly on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife.
Peel the oranges with a knife, removing all the white pith. Cut into ½ cm thick rounds.
Separate the lettuce leaves.
To assemble: Make 2-3 layers of lettuce, fennel, oranges and mussels. Scatter over the caper berries or capers and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Grind over a little black pepper and top with the reserved fennel fronds and lemon zest.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.