Turkish cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Fried Mussels

Mussels deep-fried crisp in beer batter, threaded onto skewers and dipped into walnut tarator sauce.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 500 g mussel meat (shelled)
• 150 g flour
• 150 ml lager beer
• 80 g walnuts
• 2 slices white bread (crusts removed)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 l frying oil
• 8 wooden skewers
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Rinse the mussel meat thoroughly, drain well in a sieve, and pat dry — the batter won't stick to wet mussels.
2. For the tarator, briefly soak the crustless white bread in water, squeeze it out firmly, and blend it with the walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt into a thick, smooth cream.
3. Whisk the flour, beer and 1 tsp salt into a smooth batter that runs off the spoon like thick cream, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
4. Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 180°C — a drop of batter should rise immediately and bubble vigorously.
5. Dip the mussels through the batter in batches and fry for 2–3 minutes until golden and crisp, then drain on paper towels.
6. Thread them onto the wooden skewers while still hot, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately with the tarator sauce.