Thai Style Steamed Mussels

Thai style steamed mussels

Steamed mussels are an easy way to make something nice for socials or just to eat with a movie at home.  Thailand has always been good at taking any seafood and quickly making something fancy with it.   Our friend Ahm threw this together one night when we had her over for a movie.  It is great paired with red wine.

The Health Benefits of Mussels

The number one thing I think of when it comes to eating mussels is the protein it gives me for my bodies muscles.  As much as 55% of the calories you get from mussels are in the form of protein according to Sylvie Tremblay, MSc in her article on them at Livestrong.com.  It is good news if you are the disciplined type that follows our blog.  You care about what you put into your diet.   You probably also have the will power to stick to good guidelines for exercise.

According to the to ACSM you need to be lifting weights or doing some resistance training 3-5 times per week and at least 30 minutes per time.   If you are following these guidelines, then there are instructions you need to be following to accommodate your protein needs.  Here are the ACSM's guidelines for protein intake for someone lifting weights.

Other Health Benefits of Mussels

Mussels are also an excellent source of minerals including selenium and manganese which are good for your sex hormones.  They are also high in vitamins C and B-12 which have whole hosts of benefits and are in fact pretty important.

Health Concerns Regarding Mussels

Sodium,  Cholesterol and Saturated Fats

If you have cardiovascular issues like I do, you might want to limit your consumption of mussels.  They are high in sodium and cholesterol which are contributing factors to strokes.  Muscles also contain more than 20% of your RDA of the fat part of which is saturated fat, the bad kind.  It always amazes me when I get patients with high blood pressure that downplay how serious it is.  I have to remind them that it is a silent killer and it will kill or seriously disable a person if we don't treat it seriously.

Gastrointestinal allergies, Shellfish poisoning and IgE-Mediated Allergy to Mussels

These serious, but less common issues are also something to be aware of.  Go to the ER, check with your allergist or a toxicologist if you think you might be affected by one of these.

As always, check with your doctor and/or nutritionist if you have concerns and don't take these things lightly.  They should be able to tell you if you can safely eat mussels in moderation or if you should avoid them all together.  Also, as always, we want to hear if you have ideas to make this recipe healthier.  We try to go with the simplest healthiest ingredients possible, but we're always learning about new ones.  Drop us a comment if you know something we need to know.

As she said it was, this recipe is easy.  Steaming is also always a healthier option than frying or breading.   You just boil water and throw all the ingredients into the pot.  Here are the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 1 bundle of green onions sliced to be about 4 inches for each piece
• 4 cups of water
• 2 pounds of muscles
• 4 - 5 basil leaves stems
• Low sodium soy sauce
• A pinch of salt, low sodium salt.  Ha!  I wish there were such a thing.  🙂  If there is a salt substitute you like then use it.

Directions:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan
2. Throw in the muscles and everything else and boil for 10 minutes
3. Strain and serve with our Thai dipping sauce in the blog post below.

If you like this recipe, you may also like one of these.

Grilled Mackerel with Thai Chili Sauce (ปลาซาบะย่าง)

Roasted Thai Chili Lime Fish

Thai Dipping Sauce for Seafood