Tested and Perfected by Food and Wine
Mussels with Black Bean and Chile Sauce
© Tina Rupp

Mussels with Black Bean and Chile Sauce

Contributed by
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • •FAST

Spice Temple • Sydney

Australian star chef Neil Perry loves the complex combination of Asian flavors in this dish: salty fermented beans, hot chiles and sweet, briny mussels.

  1. 1/4 cup peanut oil
  2. 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
  3. One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
  4. 1 tablespoon fermented black beans
  5. 1/2 teaspoon Asian ground chiles in oil or crushed red pepper
  6. 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
  7. 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
  8. 1 scallion, thinly sliced
  1. In a large wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry over high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a mortar and add the black beans and ground chiles. Mash until coarsely ground. Stir in the vinegar.
  2. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in the wok. Add the black bean mixture and stir-fry over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mussels, cover and steam until they open, about 4 minutes; discard any mussels that don't open. Transfer the mussels and sauce to a large bowl, sprinkle with the sliced scallion and serve hot.