This coconut curry mussel stew is one of my favorite slow carb dinners. The broth is rich enough that you won’t miss the rice, and the whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes. I first had a version of this at a Thai restaurant in Denver and have been making it at home ever since.
Mussels are one of the most affordable seafood options, and the coconut-curry broth gives them a creamy, warming, rich flavor.
Quick Summary: Mussels simmered in a creamy coconut curry broth with tomatoes, ginger, and fennel. Ready in 30 minutes, naturally low-carb and keto-friendly, and delivers 665 mg of omega-3s per serving. Skip the rice and let the rich broth be the star. Prep: 10 min | Cook: 20 min | Serves: 4
Jump to: RECIPE | Slow-Carb Modifications | Seafood as Protein | How to Lower Cost | FAQ
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How to Make Classic Recipes Slow-Carb Compliant
Thai curry soups are typically slow-carb, if you serve them without the rice.
I first had mussels combined with curry broth at a restaurant called Thai Basil in Denver, Colorado. They served it with a huge bowl of rice on the side, but the curry was so rich and full of flavor that the rice was easy to ignore.
I did ask them to add white fish to the bowl to up the protein count a bit.
Eating at Thai, Mexican, or Asian restaurants is often problematic for a slow-carb lifestyle due to the side bowls of rice that accompany the protein. Rice is not compliant with a slow-carb, low-carb, or keto lifestyle so you will have to forego (and ignore) it to remain compliant.
A dish that is prepared with a knowledge of spice blends and flavor combinations doesn’t need rice to complete it, however. I find the rice often just mutes the glorious, sometimes delicate flavors of the dish.
Why Have Seafood as Your Protein?
The nice thing about fish and some of the bright, spicy sauces that often accompany fish dishes is the short cooking time needed to get the desired flavor.
Sometimes with meat proteins, a long slow cooking process is required to enhance the texture and flavor of the dish, but not so with fish or seafood
Tip: Thicker filets of things like cod or tuna take a bit longer, but most shellfish or thin filets will be cooked through in 5-10 minutes.
Why is Cooking Seafood Intimidating?
As a previous diet and health coach I saw that many people, especially those in the US, were intimidated by the idea of cooking seafood. I found the reason for this uncertainty related to the following:
- If you don’t live in a coastal area, you are probably not used to cooking fish. The unfamiliar is always a bit intimidating.
- Seafood can be expensive and that means a little anxiety about ruining it.
- Seafood can be bland without spices or sauces, and it can be rubbery if overcooked.
How to Decrease the Cost of Seafood
Some fish can be quite expensive (i.e., seabass and lobster), but you can also get really good fish that is moderately priced.
If you are buying fish in a grocery store, opt for fish that has been flash-frozen. It will often end up being fresher, as many stores buy it flash frozen, to begin with, and thaw it out for their deli counters.
If quality is of utmost importance to you rather than the cost of seafood, I have found Sizzlefish to be of reliable quality and they ship to your home.
Here is a range of readily available seafood in categories of inexpensive, moderate, or expensive:
- Relatively inexpensive: perch, tilapia, clams, mussels, seafood blends
- Moderately priced: White-fleshed fish is usually fairly inexpensive and this would include cod, haddock, catfish, scallops, and snapper
- Relatively more expensive: Salmon, bluefin tuna, swordfish, crab, fresh oysters, seabass, & lobster.
- For fun: All of the above will appear very inexpensive if you compare it to the most expensive fish in the world! A bluefin tuna sold at $1.76 Million in the year 2003, and it still holds the position of the most expensive seafood of all time.
Here are a few more tips for keeping costs down when cooking with fish/seafood:
- Some seafood is better than no seafood. Try using fish as an ingredient rather than the main dish. Add it to pasta (i.e., crab mac and cheese or clam linguine) or use it in a soup or chowder like this popular cioppino or fish stew.
- If you buy fish from a local fishmonger, ask for trimmings or a piece of the salmon tail. They are half the price and are still high quality. These are just the bits and pieces that butchers trim off to make aesthetically pleasing pieces of fish for display.
- As mentioned above, buy flash-frozen fish. It is frozen right on the boat and will keep until you are ready for it
How to Make Low-Carb Mussels in Coconut Curry Broth
The recipe below uses inexpensive mussels in a rich coconut curry broth. Next time I make this for dinner I will probably add some white fish (halibut, cod, etc.) to get a little more protein and add a little more texture.
The full instructions are in the recipe card below. In short: Sauté onion, then add tomatoes, garlic, ginger, curry paste, fennel seeds, and cayenne. Stir in coconut milk and wine, bring to a boil, add mussels, cover, and cook until shells open (about 4 minutes). Garnish with cilantro.
My Favorite Seafood Recipes
FAQ
Yes. Fresh mussels work the same way. Scrub them, remove the beards, and discard any that don’t close when tapped. Cooking time is similar.
Add chunks of firm white fish like cod or halibut. Add them to the broth a few minutes before the mussels so they have time to cook through.
Yes. This recipe is naturally low-carb and keto-compliant. Use full-fat coconut milk (not lite) for the richest flavor and to stay keto.
Substitute 2 teaspoons curry powder. The flavor will be slightly different but still good.
Mussels are done when their shells open, usually 3-4 minutes after adding them to the hot broth. Discard any that don’t open.
Like this recipe? It helps me out greatly if you leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below and maybe even leave me a quick comment too!
Low-Carb Mussels with Coconut Curry Stew
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 heaping tsp minced garlic I used garlic from a jar
- 1 heaping Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons curry paste you can use curry powder if you wish
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds crushed (either in grinder or with mortar/pestle)
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or any other hot pepper spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 14 ounces canned coconut milk AROY-D is good brand, you can use lite if you want- I did not
- ½ cup dry white wine dry red wine is OK also
- 2 pounds mussels I used frozen mussels – Bantry Bay Brand
- chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 min, or until translucent.1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion
- Add tomatoes, garlic, ginger, curry paste or powder, fennel seeds, cayenne and salt; cook a few minutes until well blended and heated throughout.14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, 1 heaping tsp minced garlic, 1 heaping Tbsp grated fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons curry paste, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Add coconut milk and wine, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.14 ounces canned coconut milk, 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Add the mussels, cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook for a few minutes until mussels have opened (about 4 min).2 pounds mussels
- Serve garnished with cilantro.chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
loved your recipe , absolutely right about not needing rice, made some as side dish for my wife but was not tempted.
many thanks
jim
So glad you (both) liked it Jim!!
I sautéed carrots and red peppers along with the onions, the veggies and broth were amazing!
Carrots and red peppers would definitely add both nutrition and flavor. Happy you liked the broth….once the broth is down, the rest of the recipe is pretty flexible. Thanks for commenting!
Was delicious. I actually added squid and fish to make a stew .. was very good 😊
Love the addition of squid and fish to make it more of a stew. I’m slowly becoming a fan of squid. The texture was off putting to me for a while (those tentacles!), but the more I try it the more I like it. Thanks for the comment!