Cheesy Jalapeno Mussel Poppers
1
- Prep Time15 mins
- Total Time25 mins
- Makes10 to 12 servings
Produced by Aimee Nishitoba, Photography by Carmen Cheung, Food Styling by Michelle Rabin, Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari.
These mussels are topped with a cheesy mix of jalapenos and green onions and broiled in the oven until golden and bubbling. These are a great appetizer to assemble in advance and then simply broil before serving. The mussels do double duty by providing their own serving vessels, which need no clean-up.—Haley Polinsky
Ingredients
1/4 cup light beer or water
900 g mussels, rinsed, scrubbed and debearded
1 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup 2% milk
2 jalapenos, seeds removed, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 1⁄2 cups finely grated Monterey Jack
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
Position rack in top of oven, then preheat broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Pour beer into a large pot set over high. Bring to a boil, then add mussels. Cook, covered, until mussels open, 2 to 3 min. Remove from heat. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, combine cream cheese with milk, jalapenos, green onions, cumin and salt in a medium frying pan over medium. Season with pepper. Cook, stirring, just until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.
Break off and discard top shell from mussels, then arrange shelled mussels on prepared sheet. Top each mussel with 1 tsp cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle grated cheese overtop.
Broil until cheese is golden and bubbly, 2 to 3 min. Remove from oven. Sprinkle cilantro overtop just before serving.
Kitchen tip
This recipe can be prepared up to 8 hrs in advance from step 2 until step 5, then covered and refrigerated until ready to broil.