These are Peruvian style mussels. They're marinated in lime juice with aji chile and topped with finely chopped red onion and tomato, and served on the half shell garnished with a choclo, which is a large cooked corn kernel, and a couple of canchas, which are small corn kernels fried crispy. There were nine meaty mussels on the half shell on top of a lettuce leaf. This dish, which is served cold, was fresh, a touch spicy (more hot sauce was served on the side), and there was crunch from the fried corn kernels. The cooked corn kernels looked like bay scallops, and they added just enough starch to the dish to make it a light lunch which was especially good with a beer. I spoke with the chef, asking him how come the mussels tasted so clean (as there's normally a little funk in mussel dishes). He told me that he uses New Zealand mussels because they are meaty, and he cleans them in house, removing the innards and any gritty sand. He said that's how his Mom did it in Callao, the seaport for Lima, though she used the local black mussels. I love little food stories like this, and I loved these mussels too. I'm going back for more very soon.
Location: Peruvian Fuego, 1751 N Sunrise Way #F1, Palm Springs, California. Date: February 19, 2022.
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AuthorChef Roland has been a legal resident of seven countries and has travelled in over thirty, documenting food along the way. He currently resides in the desert in Southern California. Categories
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