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An easy seafood recipe for a romantic dinner

Chef and cookbook author Diane Brown loves to spend a Sunday visiting the fishmonger and cooking up the catch of the day. One of her favorite things to make is this recipe for cockles, mussels and clams because it’s a one-pot dish.

The liquid inside the shellfish helps flavor the sauce and the vegetables. (When shellfish cook, they release flavorful, briny liquids.) And because all of the shellfish cooks together, there’s less to clean up.

This recipe features some of the most aphrodisiac gifts of the sea. Mussels, clams and cockles are all believed to help raise sexual hormone levels. (Learn more about the scientific study that shed light on the aphrodisiac potential of shellfish.)

Incidentally, did you know that clams make our list of the 10 Best Foods for Men?

And then there are the chiles. The recipe uses a green curry paste, made with the heat of green chiles. Whether your Sunday plans involve a night of passion or not, paired with a glass of crisp, white wine, this sultry seafood dish will make an unforgettable end to any weekend.

What are cockles?

If you’ve heard of cockles but aren’t sure what they are, you’re not alone. Often mistakenly spelled cockels, cockles are just another type of bivalve, like mussels and clams. In fact, they look like a lot like clams with almost round, ridged shells. But viewed from the end, the shell’s shape looks almost like a heart. I think it adds to their romance.

Like clams and mussels, cockles have a lovely, subtle and briny flavor.

One of the best known varieties of cockles, the common cockle, is native to northern Europe. But the variety used to make torigai sushi is the Japanese egg cockle.

Like mussels and clams, cockles are available year-round. They should be cleaned as you would a clam, by soaking in fresh water for several hours before cooking.

Shellfish substitutions

If you can’t find one of the three shellfish ingredients for this easy seafood stew, you can double up on one of the other two shellfish.

You can also just make a whole pot of cockles, or mussels, or clams, whichever bivalve you prefer! Diane loves the subtle variety in textures and flavors you get from combining all three. But this recipe’s all about easy, so do what works for you. (Note that if you’re using mussels, you need to allow a few extra minutes to debeard the shellfish. See the recipe notes for instructions.)

Some notes on using green curry paste

As for this fragrant stew’s spicy flavoring agent, the curry paste, Diane recommends using a pre-made paste in order to save time. She recommends using a fairly modest amount to allow the natural briny flavor of the shellfish shine through.

However, green curry is not a difficult flavoring paste to master. Recipe Tin Eats has a nice and easy to follow recipe. And if you want to make your own from scratch, it is sure to bring a freshness and more intense chile flavor to the final dish.

closeup of cockles, mussels and clams with cilantro and coconut

Cockles, Mussels and Clams with Green Cabbage, Cilantro and Coconut Curry

Print Recipe

This simple, one-pot recipe combines the ocean flavor of shellfish with coconut, cilantro and green curry.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Dish Type One-Pot

Diet and Health Healthy, low carb

Ingredient mussels

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Author Diane Brown

Ingredients

1 15-oz can coconut milk
2 garlic cloves grated
1 1-inch section peeled, fresh ginger cut into slices
1-2 tbsp green curry paste
4 cup of shredded cabbage
small bunch of cilantro stems and leaves
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
3 lbs cleaned, live shellfish such as mussels, clams or cockles*
juice and zest of one lime

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or skillet with a fitted lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the fat cap of the coconut milk (when you open the can, there is a thick layer of coconut oil that has risen to the top.) Reserve the remaining coconut milk.
Add the garlic and ginger, heating until fragrant, about a minute, then add the curry paste, cabbage and half of the cilantro stems and leaves.
Cook until the cabbage starts to wilt, then add the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce and shellfish.
Cover the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (liquid should still be moving) and cook the shellfish for about 3 minutes.
Use a large spoon or ladle to stir the bottom layer of shellfish to the top, and cover again, continuing to cook until the shellfish starts to open.
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and zest. Eat immediately, discarding any shellfish that didn’t open.

Notes

*To clean the shellfish, soak them in fresh water for several hours. This will help to remove any sand. If you are using mussels, they must be debearded. Clean off any debris under cool, running water. Then grab the little tuft or beard sticking out and tug it toward the hinge until it releases. Discard any shellfish that are open and won't shut when tapped.

Do not eat any shellfish that don't open during cooking.

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Amy Reiley

Eat Something Sexy's Creator & Editor-in-Chief Amy Reiley is the award-winning author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks. She has her Master of Arts in Gastronomy, awarded by Le Cordon Bleu and The University of Adelaide. She is also a Certified Nutrition Coach awarded by the International Sports Sciences Association and she is a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.

Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.

Recipe for Cockles, Mussels and Clams with Green Cabbage and Coconut Curry