Inspired by a recipe in Steven Raichlen’s Big Flavor Cookbook (Black Dog & Leventhal), these mussels are deliciously cheeky, with tequila and spicy chipotle!
Cleaning mussels
To clean mussels, scrub them under cold running water. Then pull or snip off the dark, stringy “beards” that stick out of some of the shells.
Choosing chipotles
Chipotle peppers add a seductive smokiness to dishes. They’re sold in cans (often in adobo sauce) in the Mexican section of supermarkets, as purée (near bottled garlic) and as chipotle Tabasco. Instead of 1/2 tsp (2 mL) chopped chipotle in adobo sauce, use 1 tsp (5 mL) purée or 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) chipotle Tabasco.
