This baked mussels recipe is a quick and easy way to eat mussels. The recipe calls for frozen (or fresh) mussels that are bathed in a scallion, butter-garlic sauce and then baked to perfection! Your friends and family will be raving about this crowd-pleasing, eye-popping, mussel show!
Did you know that mussels are a good source of protein? I did not! But, according to the nutrition on the back of the frozen box, it provides 14g per 100g. That is a lot of mussel power! (Get it?!) So, I've been eating these half-shells ever since I can remember. I am 100% sure my parents did not know about the nutritiousness of these bad boys. Some dishes I remember always seeing these half shells are in our hot pots (lau), fried noodles (mi xao gion), stir-fried mussels (chem chep xao), and dynamite mussels!
Also growing up in America, I didn't know the Vietnamese name for mussels was chèm chép. Chèm is pronounced like the "che" in cheese and then add an m. Chép is pronounced like chep is in English. Honestly, I am still learning the different ingredient names in Vietnamese! At home, we referred to this as mussel nướng and my parents and friends called it the same. That is all for our Vietnamese language lesson - let's get back to baked mussels.
The local Vietnamese grocery store was having a New Year's sale on seafood and frozen mussels were on sale for $9.99 for 2lbs. At this time of writing, mussels usually cost around $12-14 for 2 lbs. I was excited to see them on sale and so I got them and made this quick recipe. My kids ate it up in less than 10 minutes and begged for more. They told me they didn't even like mussels, I guess they don't know themselves too well. I can not promise the same for your kids or family who say they don't like mussels! But this was a game-changer for my family!
History of Vietnamese Mussels
This style of Vietnamese mussels is a popular street food. Vietnam's coastline is abundant with fresh seafood and mussels are readily available. The street hawkers have fresh mussels on a charcoal grill bathed in a scallion sauce. When it's nice and bubbly the mussels are taken off the grill and served with a side of salt, pepper, and lime.
Jump to:
- History of Vietnamese Mussels
- ❤️Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🥄Equipment and tools
- 🛒Recipe Ingredients
- ↔Substitutions & Variations
- 👩🏫 How to Make Baked Mussels (Chèm Chép Nướng Hành Mỡ)
- Expert Tips
- 🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
- ❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- 💕More Recipes You'll Love
- 📖Recipe
- Easy Baked Mussels (Chèm Chép Nướng Hành Mỡ)
❤️Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is extremely easy to make!
- Baked mussels call for 4 main ingredients mussels, garlic, scallions, and butter.
- This recipe can be quickly made for a small serving or be scaled up for big parties.
🥄Equipment and tools
- baking tray- any metal baking tray will do!
- oven mittens - protect your hands from the oven.
- saucepan - a small saucepan to make the butter garlic sauce
- spoon - a wooden spoon or spatula to mix all the ingredients.
🛒Recipe Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you'll need to bake up some delicious Vietnamese baked mussels? Let's chat about the key ingredients!
- Mussels on the half-shell - I recommended using frozen mussels for this recipe! Frozen mussels are easy to find in the frozen aisle and are available any time of year. Follow the package instructions on how to thaw frozen mussels or you can go here to see my how-to guide. If you have fresh mussels, be sure to wash and clean them and get them on the half-shell.
- Butter - When seafood meets butter, only good things are happening. The richness of the butter is soaked up by the mussel when it is baked. If butter isn't your thing you can opt for a neutral oil in place of butter. Some neutral oils I recommend are olive oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil.
- Garlic - Garlic and butter are a match made in heaven. Garlic is a must for this recipe. Chop the garlic up into minced pieces; they don't have to be perfect.
- Salt - A little bit of salt goes a long way. A touch of salt will make the flavors sing. The mussel itself has its flavor but a touch of salt will make it shine even more.
- Pepper - Pepper here is subtle and adds a slight kick to the sauce.
Garnishes
- Fried onions/shallots - Fried onions or shallots also known as hành phi in Vietnamese go well as an optional topping to the baked mussels. It adds a delightful crunch.
- Peanuts - Peanuts go well with almost every Vietnamese dish. You can try topping your mussels with peanuts for a delicious taste. If you are allergic, absolutely avoid peanuts, and do not add to your mussels!
- Lemon- A fresh squeeze of lemon just brings the dish over the top. It is optional if you don't have any but if you do give it a try!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
↔Substitutions & Variations
- For spice lovers add Thai chili peppers to the garlic butter sauce or garnish with chopped peppers.
- Add fried onions on top of the mussels before you bake them and it'll crispen the fried onions.
- More options for garnishes are Vietnamese nuoc mam sauce, salt and pepper and lime dipping sauce, wasabi, sriracha, or ponzu sauce.
👩🏫 How to Make Baked Mussels (Chèm Chép Nướng Hành Mỡ)
Step 1: Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan on the stove set at medium-high. Then add chopped garlic to the melted butter and mix until the butter is translucent and fragrant. This should take about 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Now pour in the chopped green onions and stir in.
Step 3: Add in salt and pepper, and stir in the sauce. When the green onions start to look greener and slightly wilted take off the heat. Then transfer to a heat-safe bowl.
Step 4: Use a spoon to ladle butter sauce over the mussels. Be as generous as you want.
Step 5: Set your oven to 400°F (204°C) and bake for 5-10 minutes. Mussels cook quickly, however, the cooking time will depend on how frozen your mussels are and how hot your oven gets. A quick way to check is when you see the juices run out of the mussel and the butter is bubbling, they're done! Remove the tray with oven-safe mittens.
Step 6: Let those tasty mussels cool down before digging in. Trust me, you don't want to burn yourself by being too impatient. It won't be long before you're savoring those delicious mussels!
Step 7: Garnish with your preferred choice of fried shallots and peanuts, then squeeze a spritz of lemon before enjoying!
Expert Tips
- Clean and de-bread mussels before cooking. Here is a how-to guide on how to thaw frozen mussels.
- Do not overcook mussels they will shrink.
- Serve this with a salt, pepper, lime dip, or sweet nuoc mam sauce.
🙋♀️Recipes FAQ
It is completely normal to have some mussels that are orange and some that are tan/beige color. Don't freak out! They are both still delicious and healthy. Orange and white mussels have different colors because they're different genders. Orange mussels are the lovely ladies, while white mussels are the cool dudes.
Yes, mussels are a good protein fix which will help you feel fuller, longer. They are rich in vitamins A and B12.
The hairy part of the mussel is known as the beard. Yes, you can eat it if you like it but I don't recommend it.
Frozen mussels are just as nutritious as frozen mussels. Frozen mussels come pre-cooked and shelled. This is an added convenience of using frozen mussels.
❄️Storage and reheating instructions
- Refrigeration: Store leftover mussels in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Before reheating check to see if mussels have an odor. If the smell is fishy, sour, or ammonia-like discard it.
- Reheat: Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Check of doneness. When you are reheating the mussels it will lose more moisture and they can shrink.
Did you try this guide?
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📖Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking tray
- 1 saucepan
- 1 wooden or silicon spoon
- 1 oven mittens
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick of butter)
- 2 lbs frozen mussels thawed
- 1 bunch green onions chopped
- 1 whole garlic chopped
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon pepper
Garnishes (optional)
- 1 whole lemon sliced into small wedges
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts crushed
- ¼ cup fried onions
Instructions
Butter garlic sauce
- Melt the butter to medium high in a saucepan. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
- When butter garlic sauce starts to bubble, add in scallions and cook until scallions are a dark green.
- Add in salt and pepper, mix well. Then take off the heat.
Assembling and baking mussels
- Wash and clean mussels thoroughly then set on a baking tray.
- Ladle butter garlic sauce over mussels.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 10 minutes. If using an air fryer bake for 5 minutes. *
Notes
STORAGE AND REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS
Refrigeration: Store leftover mussels in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Before reheating check to see if mussels have an odor. If the smell is fishy, sour, or ammonia-like discard it. Reheat: Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Check of doneness. When you are reheating the mussels it will lose more moisture and they can shrink.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Danielle
Delicious, can’t wait to make again!
Trang Vo
Mussels are always a good idea ;)!