Jakolof Bay Steamed Mussels

Homer Alaska is known as the halibut fishing capital of the world. But if you go across the bay you'll find a sea of treasures, namely, mussels! On a low tide you can tie your boat up to the rocks in one of the bays and simply jump out and start filling your bucket with sweet, delicious, fresh mussels. Within no time you'll have enough for lunch. With mussels this fresh all you have to do is clean them up, throw them in a pot with a little water and white wine and start steaming. Simply delectable! ~Audrey & Patti 

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of the freshest mussels you can get

white wine

Serves: 2-4 people

Our friend, Steve (who was also our B&B host in Homer) let us tag along on his boat to pick up his guests staying at his cabin on Jakolof Bay. On the way he suggested we stop and look for mussels. We pulled up to a rocky shore on "Little" Jakolof Bay during a low tide. As soon as we got off the boat we could see mussels all around us. We were excited!

We quickly got busy and started filling our bucket. That green stuff you see on the rocks is sea lettuce. We gathered a handful to try.

Then after a short boat ride over to Jakolf Bay, we made our way to Steve and his wife, Robbie's cabin and got busy cleaning them up. Actually, Steve did all of the cleaning :) Then we threw them in a pot with a little water and about half a glass of white wine we hadn't yet polished off and started steaming. 

Once your pot has a good steam going, with the lid on, shake the pot a few times. Check to see if your mussels have opened. If not, put the pot back on. Keep checking every minute or so. They cook fast and you don't want to over cook them. Don't ever eat a mussel that hasn't opened.

Simply drain them into a colander. Be sure to reserve some of the broth and add a little butter for an extra treat.

Pour a little broth in your bowl and a handful of mussels. Enjoy immediately :)

We decided to steam up the sea lettuce we picked off the rocks. The color was beautiful and the texture was tender. Sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest!  Viva la mussels!

Not all mussels in Alaska are safe to eat. In Kachemak Bay the water is tested and monitored. You should always check with the proper agency to see if the area you are fishing is safe.

Some of the interesting sea creatures we saw on the shore. Really cool.