This Turkish stuffed mussels recipe called midye dolma are a popular street food in Turkey, especially along the coast lines. These delicious bites can be made at home.
They are a bit time consuming to make, but well worth the effort. They are always served with a generous squeeze of lemon. You also will use the top shell like a spoon to get all the goodness out of the bottom shell. Using the mussel shells is part of the fun of eating them.
Of course, enjoying them from the many street sellers along the Bosphorus Strait, is always ideal, but making them at home is the next best thing.
To make this Turkish stuffed mussels recipe you will want to make sure they are fresh plump orange mussels. You want a meaty mussel. You will first clean the mussel in cold water removing the beard, using a small sharp knife or scissors.
Then, open them carefully using some warm water and a blunt knife. Once they are open you will add in a generous amount of the rice mixture. Then you tap them closed.
The rice filling is made with aromatic rice, pine nuts, finely chopped onion, and some raisins or currants. Of course street vendors have their own filling recipe and you can use what you love and eliminate what you don't like.
Some recipes call for tomato paste and different seasonings like red pepper flakes, chopped dill etc. The Turkish people have many different recipes, so don't be afraid to add what you like, and get creative.
When you cook them, you will place each rice-stuffed mussel tightly next to each other in a singe layer of mussels with the pointy end of each mussel facing the edge of the pan. You can also use some cooking twine to keep each mussel closed during the cooking process. You then simply cut the twine before serving.
These are the best stuffed mussels, you are sure to love them. A true Turkish delight and delicious treat! The nice part to is you can make them ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.
If you are looking for more authentic Turkish dishes like this popular Turkish street food, be sure to check out red lentil soup, you can serve them with a main course like manti, and Samsa milfoy Tatlisi, a wonderful easy to make dessert recipe to name a few.
Turkish Stuffed Mussels Recipe (Midye Dolma)
Ingredients
- 24 large mussels in the shell
- ½ cup long grain rice washed and drained
- 1 Tablespoon pine nuts
- 1 Tablespoon raisins or currants
- 1 onion chopped finely
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together except the mussels and the lemon.
- Clean the mussels, scraping with a knife. Half open the shells at the round part, cut out any beard with a scissors.
- Stuff the empty half of the shells with the rice mixture.
- Tie a string around each mussel to keep them closed during cooking
- Place the shells in a large saucepan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer of 30 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
- When cooked, arrange the mussels on a serving tray and cut the strings.
- Brush the shell with a little olive oil.
- Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
