If you’re craving seafood pasta but want to keep it low-carb, this recipe is a great way to satisfy your mussel craving using zucchini noodles. These spicy mussels zucchini noodles are low-carb, healthy, easy and delicious!
I’m trying to reduce the amount of carbs I eat while not sacrificing on the food I love. Anyone who has tried eating low-carb knows it’s difficult. It’s even more difficult when you love carbs in general, but they don’t love you back. So, I’ve been coming up with alternatives to recipes I love. Some of them work, some of them need a bit more work.
This recipe actually works for me, so I thought I’d share it. Mussels are really good for you; they’re high in protein and a lot of other essential nutrients. And the best part is that they’re a highly sustainable source of protein that’s good for the environment. Mussels are the food of the future; at least I hope so. I confess I prefer them to snails and insects.
In this recipe, I used New Zealand green shell mussels, although you can use any other type. I particularly love these mussels because they’re absolutely delicious. They’re quite large and meaty too. I fell in love with these mussels while living in New Zealand. However, you can find them at grocery stores in many parts of the world, including here in Vancouver.
Ingredients
- Ten large mussels in the shell. You can use shelled mussels too if you prefer.
- One large zucchini
- Two fresh chillies, chopped very finely
- Three cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped very finely.
- One large onion, chopped
- Two medium canned peeled tomatoes, chopped
- One teaspoon fish sauce
- Half a tablespoon maple syrup
- A pinch of powdered ginger
- One tablespoon canola oil
- Salt, to taste
Method
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the canola oil on high heat
- Sauté the onion until translucent, season with salt
- Add the chilli, garlic and chopped tomato. Continue to cook until the tomato turns into a sauce.
- When the tomato has softened, add the maple syrup and ginger powder.
- Add in the mussels, cover and cook on medium heat for ten minutes. After that remove the cover and allow any excess liquid to evaporate until you have a thick sauce.
- In the meantime, use a spiralizer to make long noodle-like spirals out of the zucchini.
- To serve: Arrange the zoodles on the plate or bowl. Ladle some of the sauce on top while it is still hot. This will help partially cook the zucchini noodles without making them mushy. Arrange the mussels around the zucchini, ladle any extra sauce onto the mussels, and enjoy!
Do you like zoodles recipes? If you do, check out these recipes:
If you like seafood:
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