Midye Dolma — Turkish Stuffed Mussels with Spiced Rice

Large mussels filled with spiced rice, currants and pine nuts, steamed and served cold with lemon.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 1h
Cook: 30 min
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
✅
Serves
6 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 36 large live mussels, scrubbed and bearded
  • 150g short grain or pudding rice, rinsed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp currants, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Small bunch fresh dill, chopped
  • Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 250ml hot water
  • Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Discard any mussels that are open and do not close when tapped. Carefully open each with a small knife by cutting through the muscle, keeping the two shells joined at the hinge. Remove the beards and rinse.

  2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pine nuts for 1 minute until golden. Add the onions and cook for 8 minutes until soft.

  3. Add the rice, currants, allspice, cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in 150ml of the hot water, cover and cook for 8 minutes until the water is absorbed. Stir in the dill and parsley and cool.

  4. Stuff about a teaspoon of the rice filling into each mussel, pressing it in firmly and closing the shells.

  5. Pack the mussels in a wide pan, hinge-side down, and pour in the remaining 100ml hot water. Cover and steam over a medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes until the rice is tender.

  6. Cool to room temperature and serve with lemon wedges. Discard any mussels that stay tightly shut before stuffing.