You know those times when you want a meal that seems super fancy, but in actuality is really simple? These Coconut Curry Mussels are perfect for just that occasion.
I was at a restaurant in downtown Silver Spring a few years ago when I first had coconut curry mussels. They were insanely delicious and I could not get enough of the bread soaked in the coconut milk broth.
I figured mussels were complicated to make but when I consulted the interwebs I discovered they are actually super easy and quick (the mussels only take 6 minutes to cook!).
I’ve refined this recipe each time I made it, adding more curry paste and more ginger, and it is literal perfection in my book! When you start out with all of these fresh ingredients how can you go wrong???
Now, I know you normally don’t get bell peppers when you order mussels but I absolutely love peppers and put them in pretty much everything and they really work well here! Plus I always feel like I’m not actually eating a solid lunch or dinner if there isn’t a colorful vegetable involved so this solves that problem.
These coconut curry mussels are the perfect of blend mussels, colorful bell peppers and a rich broth (which if I’m being honest I could drink on its own or with some crusty bread as a meal) of spicy curry, creamy coconut milk, with tons of flavor from fresh ginger, lime, cilantro, garlic, and onion. Oh, and wine, there’s definitely wine in the broth, but only ½ cup so that means plenty for you to drink with your meal :p
This is the perfect meal to cook with someone (I usually prep the veggies and make the broth while Luke cleans the mussels and slices the bread) and you can customize it in a ton of ways! I usually use green curry paste because it’s my favorite, but I’ve made these red and yellow curry paste before and they’re still delicious. Use whatever wine you have on hand or sub chicken/veg broth. Swap in other veggies for the peppers, or omit them entirely. What I’m saying is the possibilities are endless and you have no excuse not to make these coconut curry mussels.
You’ll want to dig in immediately upon putting these on the table!

Coconut Curry Mussels
Ingredients
- 2 lbs mussels
- 1 small sweet onion
- 1 bunch scallions
- 3 tablespoons green curry paste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 2 bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ cup sauvignon blanc (or other dry white wine)
- 14 oz can full fat coconut milk
- 1 lime – zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Additional lime juice and cilantro for serving
- Baguette or other crusty bread for serving
Instructions
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Place the mussels in a colander and rinse with cold water, scrub the outsides and pull off the beards using your fingers or a paper-towel, discard any open mussels then place your cleaned mussels on ice
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Prep the veggies: dice the onion, slice the scallions into rounds, press or mince the garlic, thinly slice the ginger, and slice the bell peppers into strips
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Melt the coconut oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat, add the onions and scallions and cook a few minutes until the onions are translucent
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Add the curry paste and garlic, stir until well combined and cook for 1 minute
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Add the bell peppers and ginger and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until the peppers begin to soften
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Pour in the wine, stirring to deglaze the pan
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Stir in the coconut milk, lime juice and zest, and chopped cilantro and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
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Once boiling add the cleaned mussels and mix well, cover the pot and cook for 6 minutes (at which point the mussels should all open – discard any mussels that are still closed)
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Serve immediately, topping with additional cilantro and lime slices as desired, serve with bread to soak up the broth
Recipe Notes
- You can omit the bell peppers if you want, but I really like adding them for color, and because to me it feels like a more complete meal with a vegetable
This is seriously the best part!