Serves 4
This fresh appetizer is a great option for a hot summer day. Lightly steamed mussels are topped with a spicy salsa made with crisp red onion, boiled corn, tomato, rocoto, and lime juice. Raw bay scallops can be used instead of mussels.
12 mussels
1 cup white wine
½ cup red onion, finely diced
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
½ cup corn kernels, cooked
1 tablespoon rocoto, chopped (fresh or jarred)
4 limes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped
1. Clean the mussels and remove the beards attached to the shells by pulling them.
2. Put them in a saucepan with the wine, cover, and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Check to see if all the mussels are open. If any of them remain closed, discard them. Turn off the heat, take out the mussels, and cool.
3. In the meantime, combine the red onion, tomato, corn, rocoto, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley leaves in a bowl.
4. Discard the top shells of the mussels. Top each mussel with a tablespoon of the salsa and some of its juice, and serve immediately, at room temperature.
Only buy mussels when they are very fresh, and heavy for their size, but not too much because they could be full of sand. Buying fresh mussels is the easiest thing to do in Lima, because the rocks by the shore are covered with them. Be very careful not to overcook them, because they will turn into a rubbery disaster.