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Edition 22
1 lb (500g) PEI mussels
1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, chopped
1 cup (250g) pancetta, cut into small pieces
1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, peeped and roughly chopped
1 bunch parsley, stalks and tops separated, both roughly chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch saffron
1 cup (250ml) paella rice (medium grain rice will do)
1 x 28 fl oz (796ml) can chopped tomatoes
4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
1 x 19 oz (540ml) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
12 large shrimp, shells removed
handful green beans, trimmed and sliced
lemon wedges to serve

  1. Rinse fresh PEI Mussels under tap water. Tap any mussels that are still open and discard any that do not close after being tapped and rinsed. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
  3. Add the chorizo and pancetta. Fry until everything is crispy.
  4. Add the pepper, garlic, onion, parsley stalks, salt, pepper, paprika and saffron. Sauté over low heat for 10 minutes, until vegetables soften.
  5. Add the rice and chickpeas and stir well to coat the rice.
  6. Then add 3/4 of the stock, bring to a boil then turn down to a gentle simmer. Stir from time to time, about 15 minutes, until rice still has a little bite to it.
  7. Add PEI mussels and shrimp, plus a little more liquid, if it looks dry. Stir well until the mussels begin to open. Add green beans and cook, stirring, a few minutes more, until rice is nicely cooked through.
  8. Serve with lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley.
After an unprecedented winter on Prince Edward Island, we are happy to say our mussel producers are once again back on the water and farming our world famous mussels.

This past winter brought record snowfalls to PEI with over 18 feet (551 cm) being accumulated in some areas. The weight of this snowfall affected the ice conditions and made harvesting extremely difficult.

Ensuring the safety of our farmers and employees was first and foremost as ice conditions were constantly changing. This made keeping up with full production a significant challenge.

Despite all the challenges this past winter, we truly appreciate that our consumers recognized the harvesting difficulties and were so understanding that production was being limited. We saw a huge outpouring of support from everyone, and we are very appreciative that restaurants adjusted menus and spoke with their customers on supply.

Thanks once again to all our customers for being so supportive after this record winter, and being so eager to have PEI Mussels back on your plates!!

© Mussel Industry Council 2015

Mussel Industry Council of Prince Edward Island, PO Box 40010, 675 University Ave. PEI, C1E 0J2
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