Seco de Choritos

Stewed Mussels with Ají Amarillo Butter

Olive oil is usually my go-to fat for cooking, but when I do cook with butter, I make sure there is plenty. I want to taste all of that incredible flavor. This is more of a French-style version of stewed mussels, only with ají amarillo peppers to spice up the butter. The mussels are good with bacon or a fresh, meaty Argentinean- or Spanish-style fresh chorizo.

If you don’t have any ají amarillo butter already made, mix together 6 tablespoons unsalted room temperature butter and 2 to 2½ teaspoons ají amarillo paste, depending on how spicy you like it.

• 2 large slices crusty bread, toasted
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 or 4 meaty slices bacon, sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces, or 1 (4- to 5-inch) uncured link sausage, such as chorizo
• 1½ to 2 pounds mussels (depending on how hungry you are), scrubbed and debearded
• 1½ cups (12 ounces) homemade fish or chicken stock (page 40) or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 6 tablespoons ají amarillo butter (page 38), cut into chunks
• 1 lemon or 2 limes, or more to taste
• 3 or 4 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, finely chopped

1 Put the toasted bread in the bottom of two large soup bowls. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot, add the oil, and heat for another minute. Fry the bacon until the meat is just cooked but still very tender, about 5 minutes.

2 Add the mussels, stock, and bay leaf to the pot. Cover and cook the mussels until about half the shells have opened, usually only 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the shallots and salt over the mussels, and then stir in the butter. Cook the mussels, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rest have opened, 1 to 2 minutes (discard any mussels that do not open).

3 Squeeze the juice of ½ lemon or 1 lime over the mussels, taste, and season the broth with the juice from the other lemon half or the lime and some salt, if you’d like. Sprinkle the cilantro and scallions on top and divide the mussels among the bowls with the bread. Pour any leftover broth over the mussels and serve immediately.

“Peruvian Marijuana”

I use a mix of cilantro and scallions to finish so many stir-fries, stews, and other dishes that the garnish has become a running joke in my kitchens. When you chop the scallions (including the green stem) and cilantro really finely, the mixture releases incredible aromas. You just want to stick your nose in the bowl and take a big whiff (why I started calling it “Peruvian marijuana”). Now, everyone in my kitchens does the same. It’s amazing how many dishes take on a whole new life when they are garnished with a little of the good stuff.