Mussels (Peruvian Style)
This chile pepper originated in the mountains of South America and Mexico. Because of their appearance they are often called “Manzano” which means apple chile. This pepper can only be grown in these regions at elevations above 5000′ therefore making these very rare in the US.These chiles are unique in that they are the only ones that have black seeds. They are very hot and meaty. Rocotos are chopped and used in salsas or sometimes stuffed with cheese and meat and then baked.
Ingredients:
12 mussels tightly closed
2 medium size onions, finely chopped
juice of 3 key limes
1/2 rocoto chile, rinsed, seeded and deveined, finely chopped
1-1/2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
3/4 cups of corn kernels, cooked
1/2 tomato, peeled, seeded and cut in small cubes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 key lime, cut in wedges for a garnish
Instructions:
Rinse the mussels thoroughly and scrub under cold running water. Discard any mussels that are not tightly closed.
Cook the mussels in boiling water and remove them from the pan as soon as they open, to prevent overcooking them. Discard any mussels that do not open. Let the mussels cool.
Open the mussels with a knife and place each half on a serving dish.
In a medium size bowl, combine the onion, rocoto chile, tomato, parsley, corn, oil, key lime juice and salt and pepper. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
Place approximately 1-1/2 Tbsp. of this mixture over each mussel and garnish the plates with fresh lime wedges.