Easy Mussel Curry

This is without a doubt, the Best Mussel Curry you will try!  It is made quickly an easily with panty staple ingredients and turns out perfectly every single time.

Suitable for gluten free diets.

One of my friends Ozoz previously travelled to Tanzania and kept us entertained with all her exploits and culinary experiences. I was utterly hooked on all the flavours and eats.

She kept on sharing Tanzanian curries and so when I was gifted some mussels. I decided to make a Mussel Curry dish.  

These fantastic curry mussels are cooked in a tomato sauce spiced with cloves, cardamom, coriander and ginger and enriched with some creamy coconut milk. Simply a delicious seafood coconut curry.

Love mussels then just imagine the rich flavor in this. You can easily add in different seafood like fish and prawns. And check out this Shrimp Creole or this easy Blackened Shrimp.

Ingredient Notes

• Oil – use vegetable or olive oil
• Vegetables – this recipe calls for a combination of onion and bell pepper.
• Seasoning – the flavors in here are from minced ginger, minced garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cardamom, ground turmeric, and red pepper flakes. Use more or less of the seasonings to your taste. Try and use as fresh seasoning as you can.
• Tomatoes – you use use the best quality finely diced tomatoes you can find.
• Stock – use some hot chicken broth but feel free to use vegetable broth too.
• Coconut milk – get the creamiest ones you can find with the highest coconut content.
• Mussels – make sure they are cleaned
• Tamarind paste – to add sharpness. Use lime juice instead if you prefer.

How To Make Mussel Curry

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, pepper and cloves and saute for about 8 minutes until soft.
2. Stir in the ginger, garlic and spices and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Then mix in the diced tomatoes, followed by the chicken broth, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add coconut milk, bring to the boil, reduce heat add in the cleaned mussels, and simmer for about 6 minutes until all the mussels open.
5. Add tamarind and salt to taste.
6. Discard unopened mussels and serve the curry with rice and sprinkle chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Recipe Tips

• As always try and get hold of the best ingredient that you can. Make sure to get as fresh mussels as you can, coconut milk with a high percentage of coconut.
• Also make sure to use really good thick tasty diced tomatoes for these coconut mussels.

Delicious Variations

• Add in you own home made curry powder. I love this Jamaican Curry Powder for a Caribbean version.
• For a Thai mussels version use your favorite curry paste instead of seasonings. I love Thai red curry sauce and swap the tamarind for some fish sauce or lime juice and add in some basil leaves.
• You can easily substitute in different protein like fish and shrimps.  
• Want this spicy then add more red pepper flakes.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

Feel free to serve this coconut curry mussels with some rice like Instant Pot Brown Rice, some crusty bread or a simple green salad.

For More Seafood Recipes

If you are interested in more seafood recipes then why not check out these below.

• Easy Shrimp Creole
• Frozen Shrimp In Air Fryer.
• 10 Minute Blackened Shrimp.
• Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Shrimp.
• Grilled Shrimp Salad.
• Easy Mauritian Prawn and Mussels Rougaille
• 15 Minutes Thai Prawn Curry.

Tools Needed

• Saucepan.
• A sharp knife and handy cutting board.
• Measuring cups and spoons.

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Print Recipe

4.77 from 21 votes

Tanzanian Style Mussel Curry

In this Tanzanian seafood curry, mussels are cooked in a sauce spiced with cloves, cardamom and ginger and enriched with creamy coconut milk

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: African

Servings: 4

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 large onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• ▢ 2 tsp minced ginger
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• ▢ 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• ▢ 0.75 tsp cardamom
• ▢ 0.25 tsp turmeric
• ▢ 0.25 tsp dried chillies flakes
• ▢ 1 2/3 cup finely diced tomatoes (400ml)
• ▢ 1 2/3 cup hot chicken broth (400ml)
• ▢ 1 2/3 cup coconut milk (400 ml)
• ▢ 2 lb mussels, cleaned (900g)
• ▢ Tamarind to taste or lime juice

To serve:

• ▢ Freshly chopped coriander
• ▢ Rice

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, pepper and cloves and fry for about 8 mins until soft.
• Stir in the ginger, garlic and spices and fry for 30 secs until fragrant.
• Then mix in the chopped tomatoes, followed by the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 mins.
• Add in the coconut milk, bring to the boil, reduce heat add in the mussels, and simmer for about 6 mins until all the mussels are open.
• Add tamarind and salt to taste.
• Discard unopened mussels and serve the curry with rice and coriander.

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Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 1047mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1265IU | Vitamin C: 62.3mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 10.4mg

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