Shrimp and Mussels with Coconut Broth

For our internship, a friend and I decided to apply to Walt Disney World. We finally got through the first round of interviews and had to speak with the chef who did the hiring of all the culinary interns. My friend went through her interview first, so we discussed it and the questions that were asked. One of the questions that took me by surprise was “What is your favorite spice or herb and tell me about it” Ummm. I’m not sure. All of them? What do you say at that point? It IS an interview, so what do you say. Do you show off your knowledge of exotic spices and say saffron or do you keep it safe and say dill? There are many awkward interview questions out there, but they always have some sort of reason or answer at the end. So what spice did I come up with? Turmeric. It’s a spice that I used once before, but I enjoyed how the color it made my food. That day, I searched online and found out anything I could tell him. I finally came up with a speech and was ready for my interview the next day. Well, he never asked me the question. Doh! Nowadays, I use it a lot in my foods. Word of advice, don’t touch your clothes afterwords unless your hands are clean. Staining is not your friend.

It's not often that I get someone to cook for. Whenever I hear that someone is coming over, I get excited and dive into my cookbooks and notes looking for the perfect dish to cook. It has to be perfect. It has to be beautiful. I want them to enjoy it. My best friend Christina came over last friday for the evening. We planned to have dinner, then go to a concert. Anberlin was playing for those that are curious. What does someone have as dinner before a concert? I could go simple with a burger and fries or chinese takeout, but I needed to cook something. I walked around the store for half an hour checking out the fresh proteins. They had some really good shrimp, but the guy in front of me bought all the shrimp. Bastahd! There went that idea. I searched the seafood area again and noticed bags of mussels. The february issue of bon appetit wrote on a dinner and it included mussels, so of course, I was craving them for weeks. I like to call it a sign from above. You can't test it. One must go with the flow and buy the mussels or suffer dire consequences.

Shrimp and Mussels with Coconut Broth

2 ½ lbs. Prince Edward Mussels, scrubbed and beards removed

1 lb. raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups chicken broth (I prefer this flavor)

1 cup coconut milk

2 Tbsp. onion (minced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. Parsley (minced)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Saute’ onions and garlic.

2. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, turmeric, lemon juice, and parsley. Bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add mussels and shrimp to broth and cover. Steam for 3 minutes or until mussels open and shrimp turn pink.

4. Make sure to discard unopened shells and serve as desired.

5. Pouring the broth over steamed rice makes for a very delicious dish.