Steamed Mussels with Creamy Fish Filling

24 (about 1 kg) large mussels

2 tb Oil

1 sm Onion, finely chopped

2 ts Finely chopped fresh ginger

1 Clove garlic, crushed

1 Stem fresh lemon grass,

-finely chopped 1 ts Shrimp paste

500 White fish fillets, chopped

1 Egg white

1 tb Cream

1 tb Chopped fresh basil

2 sm Fresh red chillies, sliced

Picked up a couple of new mussel recipes from the Ozzie books Mark brought. This on is from a book on Thai cooking and looks outrageously good. The stuffing is molded onto a shell and garnished with an "x" of hot red chili strips. 1: Scrub mussels; remove beards. Place mussels in pan, cover with

cold water, bring to boil, simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes until mussels begin to open. Drain mussels, rinse under cold water; drain well. Remove and discard top shell from each mussel. 2: Heat oil in pan, add onion, ginger, garlic and lemon grass, cook,

stirring, until onion is soft. Add paste, cook, stirring, for 1 minute; cool. 3: Blend or process fish, egg white and cream until smooth. Combine

fish mixture, onion mixture and basil in bowl; mix well, Spoon mixture onto mussel in shells, smooth surface, top with chilli. 4: Just before serving, place mussels in bamboo steamer in single

layer. Cook, covered tightly, over pan of boiling water, for about 3 minutes or until fish mixture is cooked through. Makes 6 servings. Mussels can be prepared a day ahead. Storage: Covered, in refrigerator. Freeze: Not suitable. Microwave: Not suitable. From "Easy Thai-style Cookery", Edited by Maryanne Blacker, The Australian Women`s Weekly Home Library, 1991. ISBN 0-94912833-3 Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; August 9 1993.