Is curry wine-friendly? Why, yes it is! This dish begs for a light, bright wine with nut or herbaceous tones to balance out the warm spice notes of clove and cardamom. There are a LOT of strong flavors in this dish, which makes the potential for an explosive pairing even higher, if you dare to try it out!

Serves 4

Ingredients

MUSSELS

2 lbs. Prince Edward Island Mussels

1 tbsp butter

2 tsp fresh ginger, diced

2 tbsp chopped shallots

1 tbsp chopped garlic

2 tsp curry powder or to taste (see recipe below)

1 1/2 cup verjus

1/2 cup heavy cream

Cilantro for garnish

CURRY POWDER

1 tbsp cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp cloves

1 tbsp black peppercorns

3 tbsp cumin seeds

3 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp saffron, packed firmly

Steps

CURRY POWDER

1. Toast all spices except turmeric and saffron for 5 minutes at 350 °F

2. Add toasted spices to spice grinder with saffron and grind to a fine powder

3. Remove from grinder and add turmeric

4. This will make more than you need; also, you can clean your grinder after this by grinding white rice

MUSSELS

1. Sweat ginger, shallots, and garlic in butter for 1 minute until soft, but not brown

2. Add remaining ingredients

3. Cover and bring to simmer in large stockpot, or pot twice as large as mussel volume

4. Steam gently until mussels open (do not boil, or mussels will toughen)

5. Serve with toasted bread

This recipe is featured in our 2022 SPRINGTIME PAIRING GUIDE. To receive these directly, become a WCV Insider by submitting your email at the bottom of the page!